BTS Announces "Arirang" Album Comeback with Netflix Specials and Global Tour

BTS will return with their fifth full-length album, "Arirang," set for release on March 20, following a nearly four-year hiatus. The South Korean group will mark their comeback with a pair of Netflix specials, including their first live performance in three years.

The live show, "BTS the Comeback Live | Arirang," will stream exclusively on Netflix at 7 a.m. Eastern on March 21, one day after the album's release. The concert will feature members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook performing at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, the main gate of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace.

In addition, the band's return will be chronicled in a full-length documentary, "BTS: The Return," which will premiere on Netflix on March 27. Directed by Bao Nguyen ("The Greatest Night in Pop"), the documentary is described as a companion to the live concert, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the group's preparations and the making of the new album.

"The film offers rare behind-the-scenes access as the group comes back together and charts an unprecedented path forward together after a nearly four-year hiatus," Netflix said in a statement. Following their mandatory military service, the group reunited in Los Angeles to record the album. According to Netflix, the documentary explores how the members reconnect creatively after time apart and personal changes, reflecting on their past while considering the future of BTS.

The documentary is expected to provide an intimate view of the band members as they work through doubt, share moments of laughter and rediscovery, and consider how to begin a new chapter while honoring their past.

The Netflix projects precede BTS' recently announced 79-show global tour, their first since the 2022 "Permission to Dance on Stage" tour. The new tour is scheduled to begin April 9 in Goyang, South Korea, with additional stops in Tokyo and the United States, including shows April 25-26 in Tampa, Florida.

"Arirang" will be BTS' first studio album since 2022's "Map of the Soul: 7."