BTS' V Says He's Been Managing Hearing Loss for Over Two Years

BTS member V is going public with a health struggle he’s been keeping private for more than two years, telling fans his right ear can barely register a third of what his left one hears.

Kim Tae-hyung, who performs as V, made the disclosure on Wednesday (Aug. 12) in a Weverse livestream after back-to-back concerts at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

Fellow member Jungkook was also present for the casual stream.

"I've never told ARMY about this before, but I think it's been about two and a half years," V said. "My hearing has gotten worse."

He described the disparity plainly: "If the hearing in my left ear is at 100, it's only about 30 in my right," he said, according to Billboard.

"Since I was surrounded by people who exercised a lot, everyone said, 'It's a matter of mental strength,'" V recalled. "After that, I kind of convinced myself that it was a matter of mental strength."

Jungkook pushed back on that, saying, "You shouldn't do that."

V confirmed he has since sought proper care and is now taking medication and regularly visiting the hospital.

Jungkook also opened up on the stream about a shin injury described as close to a stress fracture, with severe inflammation and what he believes is bone-level damage. He asked fans for their understanding after acknowledging the pain forced him to scale back his movement on stage in Baltimore. He said he plans to "hold back during breaks and run only when absolutely necessary" going forward.

Both members are continuing to perform on the Arirang World Tour, which brought all seven BTS members together following their individual military commitments.