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.
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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.
In July, BTS sent shockwaves through the music industry when they said they would not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. In response, Grammy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said, “The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
