They’re back.And now they’re all together.
BTS will be returning as a full group in June, ending their two and a half years of military service.
Jin and J-Hope were discharged first, followed by RM and V on the 10th, Jimin and Jungkook on the 11th, and finally Suga on the 21st.The ‘military service period’ that began with Jin’s enlistment in December 2022 has finally come to an end.

Even during military service, BTS did not disappear.Jungkook entered Billboard’s main album chart with his first solo album ‘Golden’, and Jimin became the first K-pop solo artist to top Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘FACE’.V showcased jazz and R & B genres through ‘Layover’, and RM shared his emotions with fans through exhibitions and documentaries.There was no ‘stop’ time, and the connection with fans continued.

● First stage to meet fans again… Will it be BTS Festa?
The first stage where the full BTS will officially make their appearance is likely to be ‘BTS Festa’, which will be held to celebrate their 12th debut anniversary.
This event, which will be held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on June 13-14, is a festival that is like a pilgrimage for fans.With over 20 booths in two exhibition halls, a ‘Voice Zone’ where you can listen to voice messages from the members, a ‘BTS Locker’ where actual collectibles are displayed, a ‘Trophy Zone’ with award records, and even an Army Bomb photo spot and lighting show, fans ‘anticipation and excitement are already at their peak.

Big Hit Music explained, “This year, both operations and content have been significantly expanded compared to last year.” In addition, J-Hope’s world tour encore performance will be held at Goyang Stadium during the same period.Fans are also anticipating, “Maybe we’ll see a surprise full group stage.” Even though Suga has not yet been discharged, fans are imagining a surprise appearance by ‘6+1.’

● Becoming a complete body… This is enough
The last album released under the name BTS was the anthology album ‘Proof’ in June 2022.The last performance as a full group was ‘Yet to Come in Busan’ in October of that year.And now, two and a half years later, fans are chanting the names of the ‘seven’ again.

As social psychologist Henry Tajfel says in his ‘social identity theory’, BTS is not just an idol group.To their passionate fans, BTS is a ‘symbol’ that projects their identity, emotions, daily life, memories, and even the future.

The period of military service was not a blank space for these seven great ‘symbols’, but a time of re-establishment.Jin is preparing for the ‘Run Seok Jin EP Tour’, and J-Hope is about to release a new song ‘Killing It Girl’.Their individual activities may have been preliminary work toward becoming a team.The seven who are returning are making their final preparations to fly again under the name of BTS that they have missed so much.

The long season has passed.Now, time has begun to flow again for BTS and their fans.


Reporter Yang com -mo hmyang0307@donga

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.