K-pop group Shinhwa, who ruled the early 2000s, has returned with its 10th album and will kick off a tour in Asia.

The six-member boy band debuted in 1998 and had a string of hit songs including “Hey, Come On,” “Only One” and “Wild Eyes.” The group entered a hiatus after its ninth album “Run” in 2008 as the members went to serve in the military, one by one.

To the delight of fans, the group announced its comeback on Monday through a press conference. The group was born at SM Entertainment, but is now with the Shinhwa Company, which the group’s leader Eric established. 

“The friendship and trust among the members was what drove the team for the last 14 years. A masterpiece takes a long time to make. Through our comeback, we will show that something old is not out-of-date or unhip, but is sophisticated and has tradition,” said Eric at a press conference held on Monday at Cheongdam CGV in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul.

The group’s 10th album will be released this month.

The first concert on the Asian tour, titled “The Return” and commemorating the group’s 14th anniversary, will be held on March 24-25 at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul. The 20,000 tickets for the show were sold out within 40 minutes of going on sale.

Following the Seoul show, the group will hold concerts in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. CJ Media Japan announced on Monday that the concert “2012 Shinhwa Grand Tour in Japan: The Return” will be held on May 29-30 at Yokohama Arena and on June 2 at Kobe World Memorial Hall. It will be the group’s first concert in Japan in four years.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)