BTS to Return as Full Group After 3 Years and 9 Months; Record-Breaking World Tour Across 34 Cities to Begin

 

The group BTS is finally returning as a full group, signaling a major shift in the global music market. BTS will release their 5th full-length album on March 20, followed by the largest world tour in K-pop history starting in April.

According to the music industry and Big Hit Music on the 15th, BTS will kick off the 2026 BTS WORLD TOUR with performances at the Goyang Stadium Main Arena in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on April 9, 11, and 12. The tour will span North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, with 79 performances currently confirmed across 34 cities. This marks the largest scale for a single tour in the history of K-pop.

Foreign media outlets are also pouring out praise for this comeback. Forbes, the American economic magazine, evaluated that this tour will be one of the most extensive journeys in the team's history, setting a new standard for world tours by Korean artists. CNN also highlighted the symbolic significance of the return, calling them the protagonists who transformed K-pop into a global cultural phenomenon.

In particular, the inclusion of BTS's first-ever visit to Argentina in the tour schedule has caused a stir across South America. Argentine local media are treating the visit as a national cultural event beyond a mere performance, expressing high expectations for Buenos Aires to be dyed in purple.

The 5th full-length album, which will mark the start of the world tour, is the first full-group release in 3 years and 9 months and will feature a total of 14 tracks. For this album, which captures the sincere emotions and reflections of the members over the past years, massive global promotions including large-scale outdoor advertisements are currently underway in major cities such as New York, Tokyo, London, and Paris.

Big Hit Music announced plans to hold performances in Busan on June 12 and 13 following the Goyang shows, with additional schedules for Japan and the Middle East to be released sequentially. As BTS returns amidst the long-awaited anticipation of ARMY worldwide, all eyes are on what unprecedented records they will set through these upcoming activities.