The wait is over, K-pop fans — BTS are back. The South Korean band confirmed their highly anticipated comeback on Tuesday, scheduling a new album and tour for next year. Announcing the news during their first live stream since all band members completed their mandatory military service, the seven-strong group said they would head to the US later this month to begin working on new music. "Hey guys, we are back," Jimin said, with the group adding that their album would be released in spring 2026. "We're also planning a world tour alongside the album. We'll be visiting fans all around the world, so we hope you're as excited as we are," the band said. It will be BTS's first world tour since the group's Permission to Dance on Stage tour back in 2022. And the new album will be the band's first full-length release since 2020. All South Korean men must do 18 months in the military, which forced the world's most successful boy band in recent years to pause their careers at the height of their global fame in 2022. According to a statement, the band told fans on fan platform Weverse on Tuesday: "Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music. "Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member's thoughts and ideas. We're approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started." Fans - collectively known as the ARMY - have been desperate to see the boys back together again following their enforced hiatus. Suga was the final member of the band to complete military service last month. BTS are believed to have staggered their military service so that all seven members were unavailable for no more than six months. J-Hope, who was discharged last October, has since wrapped up a solo world tour and will headline Lollapalooza Berlin on 13 July. The band made their debut in 2013, having formed three years earlier, and have gone on to become the most successful K-pop band globally. They were the biggest-selling music artists in the world in 2020 and 2021, with six number one albums and the same number of chart-topping singles in the US. — BBC
