BTS Gears Up for Full Comeback as Military Service Nears Completion

The wait is almost over. As of this month, all seven BTS members will have wrapped up their mandatory military service, and that means one thing, fans can finally look forward to seeing them together again, possibly sooner than expected.

Jin and J-Hope were already discharged last year. Now RM and V are set to return on June 10, followed by Jungkook and Jimin on June 11, and Suga on June 21. This June officially marks the end of BTS’s military era and the beginning of a new chapter, not just for the group but for K-pop as a whole.

Even while enlisted, the BTS members managed to stay musically present. Jimin’s track Who, released while he was serving, made history by staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 33 straight weeks, something no other K-pop soloist has done. RM’s LOST! also gained international praise, bagging awards from the Shark Music Video Awards and the Sislope Festival.

While ARMYs are obviously excited for a group reunion, industry experts are urging fans to be a little patient. HYBE, the group’s label, has already stated that although preparations for BTS’s comeback are in motion, it will take some time to create something worthy of their global status.

During a shareholder meeting earlier this year, HYBE CEO Park Jiwon revealed that the company is working with top music producers and that the members are already talking about the creative direction of their return. With recording, rehearsals, and potential tour planning ahead, insiders believe a full-group comeback might not happen until late 2025.

In the meantime, individual projects are still part of the plan. Jin is expected to go on a solo fan concert tour next month, hitting countries like South Korea, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and even the Netherlands. RM and Jimin have also hinted at new music and performances as a way to thank fans for their patience.

BTS’s last group album Proof dropped in 2022, and their final concert as a group was Yet to Come in Busan later that same year. Since then, each member has evolved musically, gaining new experiences and exploring personal sounds. That growth is expected to make their comeback even more powerful.

Critics believe their return could shake up the K-pop landscape. After the massive boom during the pandemic, the genre has seen a slowdown, with album sales and digital streams both dipping in 2024. Industry leaders think BTS could be the spark that reignites global interest.

Looking back at their Love Yourself era in 2017 to 2018, BTS managed to turn personal growth and healing into a cultural movement. With their thirties now underway (except Jungkook, who turns 28 in September), fans are excited to see what stories the group will tell next, stories shaped by both fame and real-life challenges like military service.

Experts like Professor Lee Ji-young from Hankuk University believe that this reunion won’t just be nostalgic. It could bring a deeper, more emotional layer to their music, and possibly redefine what it means to be a global K-pop group in this new era.