Kim Jae-joong returns with 'THE WAVE' 1 year 3 months after last domestic release

1 year 3 months, then 'THE WAVE'

Kim Jae-joong is back. The 39-year-old singer-actor dropped THE WAVE (더 웨이브), his first domestic comeback in 1 year 3 months. Two tracks came with it: title track Tonight (투나잇) and B-side 마중길. Both landed in the upper ranks of domestic music charts.

He marked the return with a live stage. August 21 brought him to KBS 2TV's Music Bank—his first music broadcast performance since his TVXQ era.

Concert run at KBS Arena and beyond

The single's momentum carried into a full concert: 2026 KIM JAE JOONG CONCERT [THE WAVE] at KBS Arena in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. He also ran the 2026 JAEJOONG ZEPP & HALL LIVE TOUR in Japan and the Asia fan concert GALAXY 1986. After the domestic dates, a Yokohama concert and additional schedule are planned.

On the discography side, the road to THE WAVE included the pre-release single I AM U (June 11, 2024). His regular 4th album followed on June 26, 2024. A December 2024 single came next. Then a May 2025 mini 3rd album. Japan digital single OASIS and album Rhapsody rounded out the stretch. Japan plans extended to a 6th Japanese single in 2025.

What's next: film and Yokohama

Beyond music, Jae-joong is set to return to screens in the Korea-Japan co-production film Shinsa: Whispers of Evil Spirits (신사: 악귀의 속삭임), where he plays Myung-jin. (His cats Coco and Nene are reportedly holding down the fort at home.) The schedule stays packed heading into the rest of 2026.