BTS, K-Pop's biggest boy band, returns after completing military service.

The wait is over for millions of BTS fans. After a forced hiatus due to mandatory military service, the South Korean boy band has announced its return to action with the release of a new album and the start of a world tour in the spring of next year . "Starting in July, the seven of us will begin working closely on new music. Since it will be a group album, it will reflect the thoughts and ideas of each member," said the group's leader, RM, during a live broadcast on Tuesday on the Weverse platform, which had an audience of seven million viewers.

The singer has detailed that BTS's new album "will be released in the spring," explaining that the recording will take place in the United States and that the world tour will begin shortly after the release, without specifying dates, although the local newspaper The Korea Herald reported a few weeks ago that the group will return to the road in March.

Following the release of several solo works by some of its members, such as 'Golden' by Jung Kook (2023), 'Layover' by V (2023), 'Face' (2023) and 'Muse' (2024) by Jimin, 'D-Day' by SUGA (2023), the EPs 'Happy' (2024) and 'Echo' (2025) by Jin, 'Jack in the Box' by J-Hope (2022) and the albums 'Indigo' (2022) and 'Right Place, Wrong Person' (2024) by RM, BTS's next album will be their first since 'Proof', released in 2022, the year in which they gave their last concert to date, in the city of Busan.

“This time, we’re really going to come back with the same mindset we started with,” Jungkook expressed on Tuesday’s broadcast. Jimin added, “We’ll work really hard and prepare the album quickly so you don’t have to wait too long. I’m happy that we’re all together.” Suga added, “I think these past two years, I’ve taken the time to think about myself… Before, I just ran forward without looking back, but this time has given me a chance to reflect. I want to sincerely thank the fans for waiting for me. I really missed you.”

Meanwhile, one of the seven members of the group, Jin, will continue promoting his solo career with a world tour that began in late June and will end in Amsterdam in August.

In April, J-Hope stated in an interview with Apple Music 1 that the group's next steps would have "enormous energy." Meanwhile, Jimin said on Jimmy Fallon's show in May that he's enjoyed his solo career, but is now "very excited" to work with his bandmates again.

Will the experience of military service affect the members of BTS? They themselves affirm that they will begin the "second phase" of their career with a distinct artistic maturity. According to K-Pop specialist Hong Seok-kyeong, director of the Center for Hallyu Studies at Seoul National University and author of the book "BTS on the Road," the group will leave behind the adolescent narrative that catapulted them to fame to explore a more adult vision, both lyrically and visually. "Once someone returns from military service in South Korea, they are treated as an adult. They will graduate from the story of adolescent growth and move toward an independent adult world," the expert explained in a recent interview with the Japanese newspaper Mainichi.

Next year's tour will mark the return of one of the bands that have made history in global pop over the last decade. Since their debut in 2013, RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have topped charts like the Billboard Hot 100 with songs like "Dynamite" and "Butter," and have brought K-pop to US stadiums like SoFi in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on a tour that reached more than 4 million viewers across various platforms.

BTS, an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan or "Beyond the Scene," is one of the pop icons of the 21st century, breaking countless world records. The group has mobilized millions of fans around the world (called ARMY), achieved six number 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year, and performed multiple sold-out stadium shows around the world.

They were also named TIME's 2020 Artist of the Year. BTS was nominated two years in a row for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd and 64th Grammy Awards and has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards such as the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards (Artist of the Year 2021), and MTV Video Music Awards.