Summary:
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The Bangtan Boys reunite after military enlistment. New album in spring 2026 and world tour announced. BTS’s next chapter is here.
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Long road back for BTS since last album in 2020. Solo projects deepen artistry. Fans excited for reunion.
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Members reflect on hiatus. RM, j-hope, Jimin, and Jin share thoughts. Excitement builds for album and tour.
The Bangtan Boys are back. After more than two years apart due to mandatory military enlistment, all seven members of BTS have officially reunited, and they’re not wasting a second. On July 1, the group announced they will release a new album in spring 2026, followed by a highly anticipated world tour.
In a livestream that sent ARMY into an emotional spiral, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook appeared together to confirm what fans have been manifesting since 2022: BTS’s next chapter is here.
“We’ll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year … We’re also planning a world tour,” they shared via Weverse. “We’ll be visiting fans all around the world, so we hope you’re as excited as we are.”
BTS reunites in new Weverse live. pic.twitter.com/Wdewq8yYeA
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) July 1, 2025
The Long Road Back
Their last studio album, Be, dropped in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, delivering Billboard No. 1 hits like “Dynamite” and “Life Goes On.” Then came the enlistments. Jin, the eldest, began service in December 2022, followed by j-hope, and eventually all seven completed their 18-month terms.
Despite being apart, the group remained creatively active. Each member used the hiatus to experiment with solo music, from RM’s introspective Indigo to Jung Kook’s chart-smashing debut Golden. Their time apart, as RM described, only deepened their artistry.
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“The experience of being completely free and honest will have a good influence on our team,” he said during a Q&A for his documentary Right Place, Wrong People.
And as you can imagine, fans couldn’t be happier about the reunion.
how i sleep knowing bts is reuniting in 24 hours
pic.twitter.com/hxB8Q2sssx— luna⁷ (slow) (@tetebbi) June 19, 2025
Each BTS member shared heartfelt reflections leading up to their reunion. RM expressed deep nostalgia in a June 2024 Weverse letter, noting he missed the group and was eager to return to what felt like home. j-hope, in a Weverse Magazine interview, framed their comeback as a fusion of solo evolution and group identity, saying, “This is us. This is BTS.” Jimin, writing in January 2025, admitted to feeling nervous about performing again but remained committed to delivering for fans.
Meanwhile, Jin, appearing on The Tonight Show in May 2025, called his bandmates “lifesavers,” vowing to honor and support them post-service.
