BTS to Release New Album “ARIRANG” in March After 4 Years; World Tour to Begin in April

The global K-pop supergroup BTS has announced its historic return. Breaking a nearly 4-year hiatus since their final performance in Busan in October 2022, the group will release their new album “ARIRANG” on March 20 and launch a world tour spanning over 70 performances across Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Europe from April through March 2027.

The album title “ARIRANG” is a choice that reflects Korean national identity. Arirang is the most beloved folk song on the Korean Peninsula and is regarded, though unofficially, as an emotional national anthem. It is estimated that “ari” originates from ancient Korean language meaning “beautiful” or “pitiful,” while “rang” means “loving.” The chorus, “Arirang, arirang, arariyo,” has conveyed the joys, sorrows, longings, and resilience of Koreans across generations.

Arirang holds deep significance in Korean history. During Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, Arirang became a symbol of resistance. In 1926, a silent film with the same name told the story of a Korean man driven mad by torture by Japanese authorities. Every time the film’s music played, audiences wept, prompting colonial authorities to ban the song. Today, both South Korea and North Korea have listed Arirang as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage item. It was played instead of national anthems when athletes from North and South Korea entered together at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

This choice of album title demonstrates BTS’s commitment to strengthening their Korean identity. While many mainstream K-pop groups tend to adopt an international image targeting global markets, BTS has consistently expressed its Korean roots by wearing traditional hanbok, addressing issues in Korean society, and repeatedly emphasizing their Korean heritage.

Additionally, all members completed their mandatory military service earlier this year. South Korea legally requires healthy men aged 18 to 28 to serve in the military for 18 to 21 months. Rapper SUGA finished his service as a social service worker due to a shoulder injury in June 2025, while the other six members—RM, V, Jimin, Jung Kook, j-hope, and Jin—had already completed their service prior to that.

Industry analysts predict that BTS’s album release and world tour will generate approximately $1 billion in revenue for South Korea’s K-pop industry in 2026. Target is already offering pre-orders for 10 limited edition LPs and 2 limited edition CDs of “ARIRANG,” with each edition including collectible photo cards.

On August 17, 2025, all seven BTS members officially announced the group’s reunion by holding a live broadcast together on their fan platform Weverse, marking a historic moment that ended a nearly 4-year hiatus.