Despite the emergence of a new wave of idols and the ever-changing trends in the K-pop industry, BTS and BLACKPINK remain the two names that continue to lead the global Hallyu wave. According to data from the 2025 Global Hallyu Survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the кσяєαn Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, both groups are still the most popular K-pop artists across Asia, the West, the Middle East, and Africa.
The ranking quickly went viral on кσяєαn forum Pann, where netizens flooded the site with praise, calling BTS and BLACKPINK “undeniable legends” and “the pride of K-pop.” Fans believe that BTS and BLACKPINK have now transcended the boundaries of being just K-pop idols — they’ve become true artists — and it seems both groups will continue to maintain their No.1 and No.2 positions for a long time to come.
Their unshakable global influence, unmatched legacy, and the unwavering loyalty of fans across continents not only elevate the impact of the K-pop industry but also further solidify the cultural and national presence of South кσяєα worldwide. Notably, in the second half of 2025, K-pop received exciting news from both leading icons: the full-group comebacks of BTS and BLACKPINK in early 2026.
While BTS had already announced their return for spring 2026 back in July — after all members completed their military service — news of BLACKPINK’s comeback was only confirmed recently. On the 6th, a representative from YG Entertainment stated: “The album is in the final stages of completion. Once all preparations are completed, we will deliver the news through an official promotion announcement.”
The fact that both BTS and BLACKPINK will be releasing full albums early next year has sent fans into a frenzy of excitement. However, deeper discussions surrounding this timing have also started to unfold across social media. Some netizens suspect that YG’s release strategy for BLACKPINK’s album may be connected to BTS’s reunion plans.
Several pointed out that since the end of the Born Pink World Tour (2023), YG had repeatedly hinted at “preparing a new album,” yet offered no concrete plans throughout 2024–2025. But shortly after BTS confirmed their official comeback schedule, YG suddenly announced BLACKPINK’s return date — just a few months later — leading to speculation about timing.
Online users began questioning whether YG might be trying to capitalize on the global buzz by “riding the media wave.” Recent reports from Newsen, StarNews, Sports Chosun, and multiple international outlets covering BLACKPINK’s comeback have consistently mentioned BTS in the same context. Industry experts have also tended to mentioned the two names at the same time when forecasting K-pop’s growth in the upcoming year.
Some fans believe YG is deliberately creating a narrative of “two top Hallyu groups returning together” to draw attention to BLACKPINK. They call this a “media riding strategy” — a tactic to ride the momentum of another artist’s publicity to gain additional exposure.
On the other hand, for many ARMYs, BTS’s 2026 comeback carries immense symbolic weight — it marks their first full-group reunion in three years and one of the most significant milestones in their career. Therefore, when YG announced BLACKPINK’s comeback around the same time, many fans felt dissatisfied, interpreting it as an attempt to “steal the spotlight” or “overshadow” their idols.
The discussion surrounding the comeback timing of K-pop’s two biggest groups continues to dominate online forums, with most netizens expressing skepticism toward YG’s promotional strategy:
- It’s interesting how bts’s military service affected blackpink’s release schedule too. Guys it's gonna be in March too trust me
- Did they go into the army too? Very interesting...Next update, the comeback In The Spring...
- mind u that group never released soмєтнing between their hiautus while we got bts members even releasing their mixtapes or collabs, their announcements dates are always ambiguous
- I had a screenshot showing BTS's comeback dates over the years and how YG always scheduled their group's comeback weeks in advance.
- the difference is bts doesn’t need bp’s validation. never have. bts is the reason bp has to use “female” before the title of every achievement. they’ll always be below bts. let that sink in that thick *ss skull of yours
- Guys BTS albums are release with the distribution of YG Plus…. So does YG knows the exact date right?
- Seriously, could YG please make things less obvious with all these comeback delays that change every month?!
- They are so easy to predict, their cb will be near bts cb.
- The strategy of all these companies — but especially theirs and YG’s — has always been to ride the wave of BTS’s success. BTS brings the spotlight to K-pop, and then these groups take advantage of it. In doing so, they fake their success as if they were on the same level. Too obsessed.
- It's the free promo from some of y'all. You know, competition always creates buzz — and since we’re talking about the two leading K-pop groups, I don’t think YG is foolish enough not to take advantage of that.
