V of BTS gives a health update, saying he has lost hearing in his right ear

V of BTS says he has been receiving treatment for significant hearing loss in his right ear, a problem he says has built for around two and a half years, NME reported on August 13, a health update from the pop group's ongoing ARIRANG world tour. Speaking during a Weverse livestream, he said, "If the hearing in my left ear is at 100, it's only about 30 in my right," per a translation carried by the BBC.

V, whose given name is Kim Tae-hyung, said he believed the hearing loss worsened while he completed South Korea's mandatory military service, and that he initially dismissed it as a matter of mental strength before seeking medical help. He is now on medication and attending hospital regularly for treatment. He and bandmate RM finished their military service in June last year, having enlisted in 2023, after which all seven BTS members completed their government-mandated service.

Bandmate Jungkook also shared a health update in the same livestream, saying he has been managing a shin injury with inflammation and possible microdamage to the bone during BTS's current ARIRANG world tour, which has led him to sit through parts of some shows.

BTS are in the middle of the North American leg of the tour, having played two nights at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on August 10 and 11, with stops still ahead in Arlington, Toronto, Chicago and a four-night run at Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium in September, before the tour continues through Latin America, Asia and Australia and wraps in Bulacan, Philippines, on March 16, 2027.

The health news comes weeks after BTS made headlines for refusing to submit their fifth album ARIRANG to the Grammys over the new Best Asian Pop Music category, saying they hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages.