The China Mail - BTS agency confirms superstars' 2026 album, tour

The seven-member group had been on a self-described hiatus since 2022 while they undertook their mandatory military service -- required of all men under 30 in South Korea due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North.

Now discharged from service, the septet "will travel to the United States in July to begin preparations for the new album and tour all together", HYBE said in a statement.

BTS announced their official comeback during a live broadcast on Tuesday, the first livestream with all seven in nearly three years.

The livestream attracted more than 7.3 million real-time views -- a record for the group, according to the agency.

HYBE said BTS "plan to release their new album in 2026 and embark on a large-scale world tour".

Group member RM said during the livestream that the new album "is officially set to be released next spring."

"Starting next spring, we'll of course be going on tour, so please look forward to seeing us all around the globe," he added.

Their comeback album would be their first in four years since "Proof", which was the best-selling album of 2022 in South Korea, with nearly 3.5 million copies sold.

Before their military service, BTS generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($4 billion) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

That accounts for roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP, according to official data.

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

There had been debate over whether BTS should be granted exemptions from military service -- sometimes granted to Olympic medallists and classical artists who win top international awards -- but pop stars do not qualify under South Korean laws.

With the lack of public consensus on the matter, the members enlisted individually, beginning in late 2022.

J.Thompson--ThChM