BTS member V told fans in a Wednesday livestream that he is being treated for hearing loss affecting his right ear, which he said now functions at roughly a third of the level in his left.
He said he initially did not take the issue seriously, calling it “a matter of mental strength,” but is now taking medication and attending regular hospital appointments to manage it, according to BBC News.
The disclosure landed midway through the band’s Arirang World Tour, which launched in South Korea in April and reunited all seven members for the first time in years following their individual stints in the military. Wednesday’s livestream came after the group wrapped tour dates in Baltimore, Maryland; upcoming stops include Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Sydney and Hong Kong.
V, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, said his hearing problems worsened during his military service, which he began in 2023 before being discharged in June 2025. South Korea requires nearly all able-bodied men to complete 18 months of service, a rule that applied to all seven BTS members, who began enlisting in 2022 at the height of the group’s global popularity.
Jungkook, V’s fellow BTS member, also joined the livestream, describing a shin injury he has been managing throughout the tour. He said he is close to developing a stress fracture and will need to carefully manage the injury in order to keep performing.
