Here’s a collection of quotes from the South Korean documentary film, BTS: THE RETURN (2026):
“When it comes to creative spaces, LA is like an amusement park.” – V
“No trying, no song.” – Jung Kook
“High expectations, big disappointment.” – SUGA
“We’re in a slump. That’s for sure.” – RM
“Should we make a song called Slump?” – Pdogg
“After finishing my military service, I wanted to try living abroad like this. But after spending two months in LA, to be very honest, I miss Korea.” – V
“You see, soju ain’t something you drink with your mouth. It’s through your heart.” – Jimin
“Isn’t it poetic? Soju is through the heart.” – j-hope
“We really challenged ourselves on this album and experimented to try something new and evolve. But what if we didn’t change that much?” – V
“Of course, BTS is built different. That’s what I want to hear.” – Jimin
“I don’t feel the burden. I know the results are important, but I want us to be happy. If our fans and we are all happy with the process, wouldn’t that be nice?” – Jin
“When I started making music, I wanted to say something to the world. But with this K-pop system, it’s designed for constant output, so we gotta keep moving.” – RM
“I lost my sense of who we are as a team. And if I express that I need a break, to even admit that, I feel guilt.” – RM
“Seeing RM cry is making me cry.” – SUGA
“I want to be a part of BTS for a long time.” – RM
“If all seven of us bring our hearts together, and if we have you by our side, no matter what happens to us in the future, we believe that we will keep moving forward as BTS.” – RM
“Why is it that when we speak about BTS, we feel this inexplicable pang in our hearts?” – Jimin
“To be honest, that tenderness, deep longing, and the moments that move our hearts. Because we shared all that, it helped us stay together.” – j-hope
“For me, making music is a way to document who I am in that phase of my life.” – SUGA
“It’s hard to see the forest when we are stuck chopping down trees. We keep talking about new songs, but I feel lost now with what this album as a whole is about.” – RM
“The exact meaning of Arirang isn’t really clear, but its meaning has been interpreted in many ways. Ari comes from the Korean word for beauty. While rang can refer to a deep longing for your loved ones, which could be your fans and your passion for music.” – Lee Boyoung
“No such thing as failure. It’s all part of the process.” – Jimin
“Maybe it’s just me, but the streets, the recording studio, and even the food at my favorite restaurant all feel exactly the same. Is it just me who’s changed? Am I the only one stuck in time?” – V
“I’ll soon be seeing our fans for the first time in years, and I wonder if their feelings for us have changed.” – V
“We’d like to write more lyrics in Korean. There’s too much English right now.” – SUGA
“Because for this album, authenticity matters.” – RM
“It’s about time our lyrics got a little more grown-up.” – SUGA
“In old Greece, there were two ways of thinking about time. One is Chronos, and one is Kairos. In the military, we had to do the same thing over and over again. Time just passed by. That was Chronos. But here in LA, time with the members, my second family, this feels like Kairos.” – RM
“Lyrics that only speak to us won’t be heard by anyone else.” – V
“For a song like SWIM, one that could be our single or the centerpiece of the album, we should really try making it more accessible and inclusive.” – j-hope
“The song’s a bit mellow, so it’s already a big departure from our usual style. But even so, now is the time to take that risk.” – RM
“Sometimes, knowing that tomorrow always comes feels a bit heavy.” – RM
“And yet the world moves so fast. Trends shift every season, and new faces appear overnight. Standing still isn’t an option.”
“Ultimately, life is about learning to steer your own ship. Even as the tide keeps rushing in.”
“Since I joined later than the rest of the group, I was a bit scared because I wasn’t sure what my role was in all of this. But because we’ve been together for 12 years, even without words, I knew exactly what to do.” – Jin
“Jimin, you’re pure romance.” – j-hope
“We’ll finish strong, right?” – RM
“Does being here make you feel alive?” – Jung Kook
“Ever get that feeling? You’re home, but it doesn’t feel like home.” – Jung Kook
“I think ARIRANG is great for the album title. Because as soon as Arirang comes up, it can be purely visual. As long as the spirit is Arirang, that’s what matters.” – RM
“Should we all live together again?” – Jung Kook
“When we drink together at night, we end up talking about a lot of things. Of course, we would talk about the work we’ve done at the studio. Then it would somehow turn pointless and silly, but I love it all.” – Jimin
“But the one thing we have to hold onto is at our core, we’re still just a bunch of country kids from Korea. That unchanging truth.” – RM
“This is the opposite direction of what people expect of us.” – V
“I want to convince people that it’s good for us to try something new. If we want change, now is the time to do it.” – Jimin
“There’s such a wide range of songs this time. The lyrics we wrote have gotten more mature overall. We’ve all gotten older in general.” – SUGA
“In the end, it’s good as long as people like it.” – SUGA
“Wow. This place is still around. When we were trainees, we would order from there all the time. The pizzas were big and cheap. That’s why. The seven of us would share a box of pizza. Feeling sentimental.” – Jimin
“Of course, I loved visiting the US. But home is the best. There is no place like home.” – Jimin
“To be honest, I wasn’t introverted before. But as I’m getting older, there are fewer people around me. And I spend more time alone. And as life goes on, naturally, more parts of my life may appear as if I’m becoming more introverted.” – Jimin
“Once on stage, it’s such a thrilling and happy moment. But honestly speaking, it is a lot of pressure. I don’t think I’m built to live this life of a superstar. I feel I’ve become way more famous than I deserve.” – Jin
“Since BTS is loved by fans from so many countries, it makes sense to carry the weight that it comes with. But when I look at myself, I’m not anyone that great.” – Jung Kook
“Even if it sounds better as a song, I believe you will gain much more without losing too much musically. For me, it’s not a matter of choosing a good or bad song.” – Bang Si Hyuk
“It’s impossible to deny that you’re a once-in-a-generation kind of icon. And we can’t deny that you are Koreans. So your target audience is now more and more a global one, no longer just Koreans, and that’s also undeniable.” – Bang Si Hyuk
“Ultimately, at the heart of this album is one question for us. So how far are we willing to go? How much change? How far will we go with it? This is critical for us.” – RM
“Even when we’ve decided to go forward, we get scared when push comes to shove.” – RM
“It’s spinning, but we just need to focus on one point.”
“In LA, when I reunited with the members, it didn’t feel like seeing colleagues, but more like seeing family I hadn’t seen in a while.” – Jin
“I compared us back then to who we are now. I really felt that each of us has changed and grown so much. We’ve all been growing so much.” – V
“In the past, I thought there would be an end. When our bodies grow weak, maybe we will stop one day. But now, I believe we will keep going until we’re old and gray. As long as that’s in all of our hearts.” – Jung Kook
“We are finally back where we’re meant to be.” – Jimin
“Being part of a team like BTS is like wearing a big, incredible crown. Sometimes, the weight of the crown can feel so heavy. And it feels heavy to wear it at times. There will be painful times, and there will be many different emotions. But at the end of it all, won’t we end with smiles on our faces?” – BTS
“Because we aren’t doing this alone. The seven of us together, if we walk forward together, I believe we can get through anything.” – RM
Genre: Documentary, Music, K-Pop
Synopsis: They’re back! BTS gathers in LA to record their album “ARIRANG” in this documentary offering unprecedented access to the band as they enter a new era.
Maturity rating: 13+
Run time: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Cast: BTS RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook
Director: Bao Ngyugen
Country of origin: South Korea
Original language: Korean
Release date: March 27, 2026
English subtitle: Netflix
Images: Netflix
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