NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Their reunion? It's smooth like butter. The K-pop septet BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour.
Members Jin, RM, V, Jimin, J-Hope, Jung Kook and Suga made the announcement Tuesday during a livestream an online fan platform owned by BTS management company Hybe. It was the first time all seven members have broadcast live together since September 2022.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year. Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music,鈥 the band said in a statement. 鈥淪ince it will be a group album, it will reflect each member鈥檚 thoughts and ideas. We鈥檙e approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.鈥
According to a press release, the band will be in the United States this month to begin working on new music.
The 2026 album will mark their first since 2022's anthology, 鈥淧roof,鈥 their 2021 Japanese compilation album 鈥淏TS, the Best,鈥 and their last studio album, 鈥淏e,鈥 released in 2020.
They also announced a world tour, their first in nearly four years. The news arrives a few weeks after BTS superstars , , and were from South Korea鈥檚 military after fulfilling their mandatory service.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. Six of the group鈥檚 seven members served in the army, while as a social service agent, an alternative to military service.
Jin, the oldest BTS member, was discharged . J-Hope was .
South Korea's law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren鈥檛 subject to such privileges. However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service after South Korea鈥檚 National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until age 30.
