BTS is officially back. After completing their mandatory military service, the group will return with their fifth studio album on March 20.
The announcement dropped at midnight KST on Weverse, with the album set for release March 20 at 1 p.m. KST. It marks BTS’s first full-group project in three years and nine months since the 2022 anthology "Proof," and their first studio album since 2020’s "Map of the Soul: 7"―arriving six years and one month later.
The new set features 14 tracks. True to form, the members poured themselves into the music to capture “BTS right now.” They focused on recording through the second half of 2025, aligning on the sound and vision while weaving each member’s perspective into the project.
Across the tracklist, listeners can expect reflections on the highs, doubts, and growth that colored their journey―along with a heartfelt thank-you to ARMY, who’ve waited for the full lineup to reunite. The stories threaded through the album double as a message to the fans who’ve stood by their side.
BTS also teased a world tour announcement set for Jan. 14 at midnight KST, igniting speculation about their next chapter. It would be their first large-scale tour in about four years, following 2022’s BTS "Permission to Dance On Stage," which wrapped in Las Vegas. Even a release date and a tour tease were enough to send global fan anticipation into overdrive.
As part of the rollout, the group launched a new official website (2026bts.com), where updates on the album and world tour will be posted in the coming weeks.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)