The one big question looming over the return of K-pop superstars BTS

When BTS went on hiatus in 2022, the world of K-pop collectively gasped. The genre’s most popular group – one that arguably introduced K-pop to the rest of the world – was separating so that its members could enlist for mandatory South Korean military service. Would anything fill the void they left behind?

As it turns out, yes – or at least partially.

Since Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook went separate ways, K-pop has evolved into an even greater global phenomenon. Other groups such as Blackpink, Seventeen and Stray Kids sold out arena tours; NewJeans dominated news headlines as they fought against their label; and KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most-watched film ever, turning tweens and teens around the world into die-hard Huntr/x fans. The genre even managed to break through the hallowed halls of illustrious award shows, winning its first-ever Grammy and Academy Award with Golden this year.

But despite K-pop’s burgeoning success and visibility, South Korean album sales dropped 19 per cent in 2024 – two years after BTS temporarily disbanded. According to local reports, both domestic and overseas K-pop album sales fell last year too, with analysts largely attributing the decline to a sluggish home market.

This is the complicated landscape BTS has returned to. After nearly four years, the group officially reunited this month. They came out of the gate swinging by releasing the new studio album Arirang, announcing a world tour spanning 34 cities globally, and launching a Netflix documentary and livestreamed performance.

It sounds like a lot, but has it been enough – enough to compete with the ever-growing slate of new K-pop talent, and to financially reinvigorate the industry?

The group’s first live performance since the hiatus took place at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul earlier this month. However, despite major anticipation for the official reunion, which was also livestreamed on Netflix, turnout was weaker than expected. Approximately 104,000 fans attended the show, where they performed hits from their new album and fan favourites like Butter and Dynamite. This was less than half the quarter of a million originally expected. Notably, both the Netflix livestream factor and crowd control measures in Gwanghwamun Square could have impacted attendance.

Moreover, Hybe – the entertainment giant that owns BTS via its subsidiary Big Hit Music – saw its shares fall by 15.5 per cent on March 23, just days after BTS’s live show. The company’s operating profits have long been partially reliant on BTS, its main source of income, so much was riding on their return.

This seems to paint a concerning picture. However, BTS’s livestreamed performance drew 18.4 million viewers globally, per Netflix (this accounts for viewers who tuned in during the initial livestream and those who watched the next day). It also reached the weekly Top 10 in 80 countries and secured the No 1 spot in 24 countries.

The septet’s new album also topped the charts. Named after an iconic Korean folk song, Arirang signals a return to the group’s roots – a celebration of their Korean identity while exploring themes of reunion, resilience and personal growth following their nearly four-year military hiatus.

The album earned BTS its seventh No.1 album on the Billboard 200, scoring the biggest sales week for an album by a group in over a decade. The last group to enjoy a larger sales week was One Direction with Midnight Memories in 2013. And speaking of One Direction, Arirang doubled the first-day Spotify streams of Harry Styles’ new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, reaching 110 million streams. This also made BTS’s album the top debut of 2026 so far.

In Australia, the album topped the ARIA album and vinyl chart, becoming the group’s third No.1 album and seventh top 10 album since 2018.

While Arirang clearly resonated with many fans, some were less convinced. Since its release two weeks ago, debate has erupted online around whether the album matches the depth and quality of their previous work. Several have questioned the record’s heavy vocal processing, as well as the amount of English featured, given it’s an album that aims to return to the group’s Korean roots. Many of the album’s producers include well-known Western creatives like Diplo, Ryan Tedder and Australia’s Kevin Parker (aka Tame Impala).

This speaks to a broader challenge in K-pop: The desire to cater to a global audience whilst also remaining culturally specific. This is touched upon in their Netflix documentary, which landed on Friday. The groups main rappers Suga and RM shared concerns around the lack of Korean lyrics in the album, but their management team noted that they needed to maintain a global audience.

Some fans were also quick to point out a lack of choreography in the music video for the album’s title track Swim. K-pop groups are largely known for their complex and carefully choreographed dance numbers, many of which are replicated by fans on TikTok. Though there technically is a dance number associated with Swim, the official music video doesn’t feature it, instead focusing on American Riverdale actress Lili Reinhart.

So, BTS’s comeback could best be described as complicated. There’s clearly still appetite for their content, but a lot has changed since they went on hiatus. The K-pop landscape has become saturated with other notable names, and the industry itself has fragmented somewhat as major streamers like Netflix buy into the growing appeal of the Korean Wave (aka Hallyu). Satisfying old, die-hard fans as well as new fans born into the shiny new era of K-pop isn’t an easy feat. They may have struck dynamite this time, at least numbers-wise, but time will tell if they can keep it up.

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