BTS Is Back: Here’s Everything to Know About Their Return and Live Show on Netflix
It’s not often that one of the biggest bands in the world is forced to take a multi-year hiatus, but that’s what happened when all seven members of BTS had to complete mandatory military service in South Korea.
Starting in 2022, each member of BTS took a four-year break to complete their duties and work on solo material. Now the biggest band in the world is back. RM, j-hope, V, Jung Kook, Jin, Jimin and Suga (who was recently seen in a Samsung Galaxy Unpacked promo) reunited and are making up for lost time.
Fans can watch a special documentary, BTS: The Return, chronicling their long-awaited reunion, And a live comeback concert, both broadcast on Netflix. This is the first time that streaming service has already livestreamed a concert, so if you’re part of the BTS army, you won’t want to miss this event.
There’s also a new album on the way. That’s a lot for fans to take in at once — so here’s what you need to know to tune in to all things BTS this month.
Where did BTS go?
The seven BTS members were required by South Korean law to serve in the country’s military. The law stipulates that able-bodied young men, aged 18 to 28, must complete between 18 and 21 months of military service, with no exceptions for pop stars.
The group was, however, able to defer their service for two years and Jin, the oldest member of the group, enlisted in 2022 and completed his service in 2024. Subsequently, the rest of the group staggered their enlistments and they all completed their required duties by mid-2025, giving them time to work on their new album.
BTS performs at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards.
When is BTS’ new album coming out?
Arirang is BTS’ fifth studio album, and is scheduled for release on March 20. The band tapped an all-star ensemble of producers to collaborate on the album’s 14 new tracks, including Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder. Although the music itself is under wraps until then, we do know that the album’s first single is called SWIM. The band also announced the names of the remaining tracks on their Instagram page.
How to watch BTS’ comeback concert
BTS The Return Live | Arirang is a special live concert that will be broadcast to over 190 countries from Gwanghwamun in Seoul on Saturday March 21. The venue is part of Gyeongbokgung Palace, a royal structure originally built in 1395. While the palace will close regular tours for the day, thousands of visitors are expected to gather at the venue for the show. This means you’ll be cheering alongside the crowd in Seoul.
The concert will celebrate the release of BTS’ album Arirang and will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. KST. For fans in the US, you’ll have to get up pretty early to watch all of this live: 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT. The concert serves as an unofficial kickoff to BTS’ world tour which begins in April. (Unsurprisingly, most dates are already sold out.)
How to watch the documentary BTS: The Return
BTS: The Return, directed by Bao Nguyen, follows the group as they reunite in Los Angeles after completing their military service, solo projects and beginning work on ARIRANG. The documentary will be released exclusively on Netflix on Friday, March 27.
