K-pop stars BTS reveal comeback tour after completing military service | Ents & Arts News

K-pop superstars BTS have announced details of their much-anticipated comeback tour, after a break of almost four years to complete mandatory military service.

Details released say the band is set for “world domination”, playing 79 shows across Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America and Australia between April this year and March 2027 – the highest ever number for a South Korean artist.

The tour includes two dates in London in July.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to complete 18-21 months of military service, a system designed to deter any threat of aggression from rival North Korea.

After announcing a hiatus, the BTS bandmates – RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and J-hope – carried out theirs in separate stints between 2022 and 2025.

Jin, the eldest member, was the first to finish his enlistment duties in 2024, while rapper and songwriter Suga became the final member to be discharged in June last year. Suga worked as a social service agent, while the other six members served in the army.

BTS – an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan, or Beyond the Scene – are the biggest-selling music act in South Korean history, having sold more than 40 million albums, and the first non-English speaking group to sell out Wembley Stadium.

They were also the first K-pop act to secure a Grammy nomination, and now have five in total.

In the UK, they have had four top 10 singles and two number one albums, and are known for songs such as Butter, Dynamite and Life Goes On – as well as collaborations with artists such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Halsey.

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Rumours of a comeback began on New Year’s Day, when the band reset their official Instagram account.

Ahead of the tour, their fifth full-length album will be released on 20 March. The record, which was made in the second half of 2025, will reflect on the group’s journey together and include 14 tracks.

Before the announcement, BTS sent handwritten letters to members of their fanbase, named Army, across the world, notifying them of a return.

Pictures of the bandmates back together are yet to be released.