Since the beginning of the new year, after BigHit Music confirmed BTS’s comeback scheduled for March 20, a countdown atmosphere toward the long-awaited moment has spread across the globe. In South кσяєα, a large-scale teaser installation was set up directly in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, drawing significant public attention. Notably, at night, the large installation engraved with BTS’s comeback logo shifts into sunset-like hues, sparking speculation that the concept of this comeback may revolve around the theme of the sun.
The heat surrounding BTS’s comeback has even reached as far as New York. On January 3 (local time), the Empire State Building posted a video on its official TikTok account showing the building illuminated in purple, accompanied by the message “BTS IS COMING BACK,” further amplifying excitement among fans worldwide.
On social media, discussions among fans and media outlets surrounding BTS have been nonstop. Related keywords such as BTS’s fifth full-length album, BTS world tour, and BTS is coming back dominated global trends for hours each day.
The peak of the explosive reaction came on January 5, when BigHit Music officially released its first formal announcement via the fan platform Weverse, confirming that BTS would release their fifth full-length album at 1 p.m. KST on March 20. After notification alerts signaling news from BigHit Music appeared on their phones, many ARMY reported being unable to access the Weverse platform. Several social media accounts stated that the platform had temporarily gone down due to a sudden surge in traffic.
Weverse hosts hundreds of major artists beyond BTS, including Seventeen, LE SSERAFIM, BLACKPINK, WINNER, TREASURE, EXO, NCT, aespa, and RIIZE, along with well-known actors, and has approximately 50 million users worldwide each year. Despite this scale, it has rarely faced temporary outages caused by excessive traffic. Yet, a single announcement regarding BTS’s new album release and world tour was enough to overwhelm one of South кσяєα’s largest platforms.
This situation demonstrates just how immense global anticipation and excitement for BTS’s return truly are. Even though fans were already certain that the group would return on March 20, a more concrete and official announcement from BigHit Music regarding the schedule still sent ѕнσ¢кwaves across the world.
Meanwhile, in its latest statement released on behalf of BTS, BigHit Music shared: “This new album is especially meaningful as it marks the group’s first album release in approximately three years and nine months, while also presenting the direction the seven members will move toward going forward. The members were deeply involved throughout the songwriting process, infusing their own thoughts and colors, and expressed through music the emotions and concerns they felt during their journey".
According to the announcement, the album will consist of a total of 14 tracks as an expression of gratitude. “In particular, the album contains sincere stories that we truly wanted to share with ARMY who have been waiting for the full group comeback, spread across 14 tracks. Filled with the most BTS like music, this album is also a heartfelt expression of gratitude to ARMY who have steadfastly stood by us for a long time."
Along with the release of their fifth full-length album, BTS will also embark on a world tour. Detailed schedules are expected to be announced at 12 a.m. KST on January 14. This will mark their first large-scale tour in approximately four years since BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE, which concluded in Las Vegas, the United States, in April 2022. Previously, кσяєαn media had speculated that the tour could span eight months with more than 60 performances.
On community forums, fans and netizens have shared their excitement as the “BTS storm” sweeps across the globe. However, the temporary collapse of Weverse has also been seen as a worrying signal of how fierce the competition for concert tickets may become. Fans commented:
- Weverse crashed. OMG, at this rate, how am I supposed to have any hope of getting concert tickets?
- Weverse crashed so I can’t see the announcement. The anticipation is so high
- Weverse crashed so I barely saw it.. I’d been a bit lax with fangirling, but seeing all this news roll out one by one suddenly makes my heart race
- Finally... I waited quietly without complaining, but I really want to go to the concert, so I hope fans whose hearts cooled down just stay as they are.. if people start paying attention or coming back, the competition will get worse
- The weak Weverse server crashed, I finally managed to get in and see it now. This is insane
- Honestly, the military hiatus and gap felt so exhausting and hardㅠㅠ but a day like this really comes, my expectations are huge
- Just the comeback announcement alone crashing the server. Can't imagine how it will be when they drop tour schedule
- I’ve never been more excited and more scared at the same time. Getting concert tickets is going to be a war
- The whole world stopping just because BTS said ‘we’re coming back’—this is their impact
