Super Junior Unveils Countdown to 12th Anniversary Album

The last men standing will celebrate their 12th year in the K-pop industry with a new album, Super Junior confirmed through social media yesterday.

On Tuesday (Sept. 26), active members of the Korean boy band took en masse to Instagram to share screencaps of a logo proclaiming “SJ Returns” and a countdown, which appeared on their website simultaneously to the social media posts. Ticking down to November 6, Super Junior revealed that their next album will coincide with the 12th anniversary of their debut with "Twins (Knock Out)" in 2005.  

The album comes two years since Super Junior's last release as a group, the 10th anniversary album Devil and its reissue Magic.

The active members of the band have been teasing the new comeback for weeks on social media, throwing the Korean word for “warning” into numerous conversations, tipping fans off about their upcoming music, and potentially hinting to the name of the title track.

The act, which had 13-15 members at its height, will make its return with seven members: Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Siwon (who shared the counter belatedly on Instagram and comically gave himself a "warning"), Eunhyuk, and Donghae. Two other members, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun, are serving in the military, while the group’s final members, Kangin and Sungmin, are on break due to negative public opinion. (Another two, Zhou Mi and Henry, partake primarily only in the group’s Mandarin releases, though each has also pursued his own solo career.)

After rising to prominence in 2009 with the massive hit “Sorry Sorry,” the band has revamped its style over the years, moving from propulsive dance music into smoother pop stylings with their more recent singles, and also explored a variety of sounds through subunit activities. Known as multi-talented entertainers -- group members have gained renown in a variety of entertainment fields -- Super Junior's one of handful of K-pop acts to have surpassed the ten-year mark and remained active in the industry.