BTS star V reveals hearing loss battle during livestream

What the report says

BTS member V has publicly said he has been dealing with hearing loss in one ear for more than two years and is receiving treatment. The comments were made during a livestream on Wednesday, according to BBC World News, and marked the first time he had spoken about the issue to fans. V, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, said the problem had worsened during his military service in South Korea.

BBC World News reported that V said he had only about 30% hearing in his right ear compared with his left, though that specific figure came from his own remarks in the livestream. He also said he had initially downplayed the condition and later began taking medication and going to hospital regularly. The report places the disclosure in the middle of BTS’s first world tour in years, as the seven-member group reunites after individual military enlistments.

The timing matters because BTS is back on the road after a long hiatus linked to South Korea’s mandatory military service requirements for able-bodied men. V served from 2023 and was discharged in June 2025, BBC World News said. The band’s tour began in South Korea in April and had recently passed through Baltimore, Maryland, before the livestream. The article also noted that bandmate Jungkook spoke in the same session about a shin injury, underscoring the physical strain the tour has placed on members.