BTS enthusiasts are set to start 2026 with a delightful surprise, as the legendary K-pop group has announced the release date of their upcoming album after a four-year break.
The group’s seven members — RM, 31, Jin, 33, Suga, 32, J-Hope, 31, Jimin, 30, V, 30, and Jung Kook, 28 — took a step back from the limelight in 2022 to fulfill their obligatory military service as required in South Korea.
Now, after four years, the band is making a return and shared the news with a heartfelt tribute to their dedicated fans who have supported them since the beginning.
Reports on social media indicate that the band members sent handwritten notes to select members of their fan club, BTS ARMY, along with a membership card revealing that a new album will be released on March 20.
In the messages, RM expressed, “I’d been ‘waiting for this moment more desperately than anyone.’”
Jin shared, “I greeted you all as a soloist in 2023 and 2024, but I can finally greet you as part of a team again.”
Gold membership armys recieved handwritten letters from bts with a date on it?!? bts said the announcement better go to armys first like through mail with handwritten letters, THIS IS LOVE 😭 pic.twitter.com/eS7hpyH8U5
— ⁷ bts year ²⁰²⁶ (@Inmagicshop___) December 31, 2025
J-Hope conveyed, “Finally, it’s the year that we will all be together with you!!”
Jungkook added: “Please take good care of us this year as well.”
The announcement was later confirmed independently by media outlets in South Korea, as reported by Variety. Big Hit, the band’s management company, also verified the news through a Korean language post on their social media channels.
Fans were ecstatic with the news of the album release.
Speculation about a new album started in July 2025, when the band mentioned during a livestream that they were working on fresh music.
[기사] #방탄소년단, 3월 20일 컴백 확정https://t.co/hnSw4o4RVp
— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) January 1, 2026
“Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started,” they mentioned during the stream.
The band also disclosed plans for a new tour to accompany the new album, building on the success of their Love Yourself World Tour from 2019.
Formed in 2013, BTS initially made waves in South Korea with songs like ‘No More Dream‘, ‘I Need U‘, and ‘Run‘.
They later broke into the international scene with several Korean tracks and eventually released their first English-language songs, ‘Dynamite‘ in 2020 and ‘Butter‘ in 2022.
During their active years, six of the band’s songs reached the top of the Billboard 100, and fans are hopeful that the new album will achieve similar success.