With members still in the army; find out when the long-awaited BTS comeback will take place, bringing together RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook
After the release of the anthology “Proof”, which was released in 2022 and brings together three albums by the group and several tracks that are already part of BTS’s history, the group ended up going on a temporary hiatus so that Kim Nam-joon (RM), Kim Seok-jin (Jin), Min Yoon-gi (Suga), Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope), Park Ji-min (Jimin), Kim Tae-hyung (V) and Jeon Jung-kook (Jungkook) could fulfill a mandatory task for all South Korean men: serving in the army.
Two of them have already been exempted from military enlistment. Jin, the oldest member of the group, was the first, as he began his service on December 13, 2022 and was able to return home on June 12 of last year. He was followed by J-Hope, who after enlisting on April 18, 2023, served 18 months in the Armed Forces until his discharge on October 17, 2024.
There are still RM and V, who will be able to leave the military base on June 10, 2025, and Jungkook and Jimin, who will leave on June 11 of the same year, in addition to Suga, who serves as a public servant and must complete 21 months of service, thus having his discharge scheduled for June 21, 2025.
With just a few months left until the entire septet is free from their military obligations, the question arises: when will the full group’s comeback happen? After all, it’s been almost three years since BTS released any new performances or songs.
The long-awaited comeback
When the group was preparing to go to the military, the agency responsible for the group, BIGHIT Music, had stated in a statement that the group was expected to take the stage in 2025, since all the members have free schedules starting in the second half of the year.
“Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reuniting as a group around 2025, following their commitment to service,” the company stated.
The idea was for the comeback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the albums in the ‘Hwa Yong Yeon Hwa’ series, which included the albums “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1, 2, and Young Forever,” which were released between April 2015 and May 2016.
“We talked about how 2025 would be the year that most of our members would complete their service, and it’s also the monumental year that ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1’ would complete ten years, so we’ll probably be able to do something. I think we’ll try to keep that promise,” RM said on the first episode of Suga’s new show, ‘Suchwita.’
However, the possibility was never officially confirmed, and in November last year, at an event for the label’s shareholders, HYBE CFO Lee Kyung Joon stated (via Omelete) that discussions were underway to have the group comeback a little later: in 2026.
The plan was discussed again on March 31 when, at HYBE’s annual shareholders’ meeting (via Koreaboo), Lee Jae Sang, the conglomerate’s CEO, updated the executives on BTS’ future after their military discharge, stating that the artists will need some time to prepare for their return.
At the same time, it was revealed that what will be done after all of them are ready to return to active duty as idols is still underway. Lee Jae Sang said, “Artists work on songs, release albums, and then go on tour. However, as BTS has already reached the level of one of the top global artists, we are continuously discussing their vision and future plans. It is important to carefully determine and align the direction from now on.”
Although a specific date was not revealed, ARMYs (as BTS fans are known) can follow the group’s solo releases. During this period, the members released several albums as soloists; see:
RM: “Indigo” (2022) — debut album released — and “Right Place, Wrong Person” (2024);
Jin: “Happy” (2025) — debut album;
Suga: “D-Day” (2025) — debut album;
J-Hope: Hope on the Street Vol. 1 (2024);
Jimin: “FACE” (2023) — debut album — and “Muse” (2024)
V: “Layover” (2023) — debut album;
Jungkook: “Golden” (2024) — debut album.
