K-pop enters new war as 3rd-gen giants return from military service
K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC
The "kings" of K-pop are back. Third-generation boy groups, who laid the global foundation for the genre, are returning with ferocious momentum, putting their fourth and fifth generation successors on high alert.
The wave began with Monsta X last September. With all members except the youngest, I.M — who recently enlisted — having completed their military service, the group released their first full-group album, "The X." They proved their staying power by hitting major global charts, including the Billboard 200.
The group followed this by touring the U.S. with "iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2025," the largest year-end festival in America, hitting four major cities, including a kickoff at Madison Square Garden last December. The boy band's world tour, "The X: NEXUS," which kicked off last month, is also cruising smoothly.
EXO followed suit, releasing its album "REVERXE" last month. Fresh off an explosive "MMA 2025" stage, it achieved a "Grand Slam" with five music show wins for "Crown," the album's title track. The group is preparing for its first solo tour in six years, "EXO PLANET #6 – EXORIZON," at the KSPO Dome in April.
However, the biggest shockwave is yet to come. BTS will return on March 20 with its 5th studio album, "Arirang," the group's first release in nearly four years since its anthology album.
Preorders surpassed 4 million within a week, and Spotify presaves exceeded 3 million. Fueled by this demand, the group has confirmed a massive 82-show world tour across 34 cities in North America, Europe and Asia — the largest tour ever for a K-pop act.
K-pop boy group EXO / Courtesy of SM Entertainment
Generational clash: Can the new guard hold the line?
All eyes are on the shifting fandom landscape as the third generation returns. Showing firepower that belies their hiatus, these returning titans are rapidly reuniting scattered fandoms. As the third generation reclaims its territory, tension is rising among fourth and fifth generations.
During the seniors' absence, groups like Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN and TXT seized the opportunity to expand globally, securing major awards. Fifth-generation acts like RIIZE, TWS, and ZEROBASEONE also gained their footholds during this vacuum.
Stray Kids / Korea Times file
However, a critical variable known as "re-migration" looms large. Many fans absorbed by newer groups were originally third-generation loyalists who drifted away during enlistments and now are returning home. The anxiety is acute for fourth-generation groups facing a double threat from the returning kings and their own approaching military service deadlines.
Industry insiders describe a "tug-of-war" for loyalty.
"With fans flocking back to groups like BTS, fourth- and fifth-gen groups must fight to prevent mass departure," one official noted.
With BTS set to return in March, the industry’s attention is now focused on who will seize victory in the K-pop battlefield of 2026.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.