K-pop stars BTS to release album in March ahead of world tour

BTS will release a new album on March 20 before starting a world tour. Photo / Getty Images

K-pop megastars BTS will release a new album in March before a world tour, the group has announced.

South Korea’s biggest musical act has been on a self-described hiatus since 2022 as its members undertook national military service required of all men under the age of 30.

All seven members were discharged last year and the group has announced a comeback for 2026.

They have confirmed they will release an album on March 20 before heading on tour.

The exact date was revealed in handwritten letters sent to paid members of the official BTS fan group, and later confirmed by their label Big Hit Music.

“I have been waiting more earnestly than anyone else,” group leader RM wrote in the letter.

No further details about the album or tour were given.

The album will be BTS’ first since the anthology Proof, which became South Korea’s bestselling record of 2022.

Before their military service, BTS generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($6.6 billion) in South Korea per year, according to the government-backed Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to about 0.2% of the country’s total GDP.

BTS has expanded beyond their home nation to become a global musical phenomenon in recent years.

They hold the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify and became the first K-pop act to top the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States.

– Agence France-Presse