BTS's V Reveals Significant Hearing Loss in One Ear During ARIRANG Tour Livestream

BTS member V disclosed during a livestream on Aug. 12 that he is experiencing significant hearing loss in his right ear while the group is mid-way through its ARIRANG world tour.

V told viewers that the hearing in his right ear measures roughly 30 out of 100 compared to his left, and that he has been dealing with the problem for more than two years. He is now taking medication and attending regular hospital appointments to manage the condition, which he did not specify by diagnosis. Billboard

The 30-year-old singer said the issue worsened during his South Korean military service, which ran from 2023 until his discharge in June 2025. He initially did not take the hearing loss seriously, believing it was something he could push through with mental fortitude. That approach changed as the problem persisted and he sought medical treatment.

V was not the only BTS member to share a health update during the stream. Jung Kook said in the same chat that a shin injury has been bothering him on tour and that he is on the verge of developing a stress fracture — a hairline crack in the bone caused by repetitive strain rather than a single impact.

The disclosures come as BTS presses through the North American leg of the ARIRANG tour. The group has just wrapped a two-night stand at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium and is scheduled to play AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Aug. 15 and 16. From there, the route runs to Toronto (Aug. 22–23) and Chicago (Aug. 27–28) before four final shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sept. 1, 2, 5 and 6.

Neither V nor Jung Kook indicated that their conditions would force changes to the tour schedule. V framed his treatment as ongoing rather than completed, and Jung Kook's stress fracture was described as developing rather than fully formed.

For fans following the ARIRANG tour, the livestream offered a candid window into the physical toll that a stadium run demands of performers — hearing damage from sustained exposure to loud stage monitors, and bone stress from nightly choreography on hard surfaces are well-documented occupational risks for touring musicians. That both members chose to share these details directly, rather than through a label statement, fits the group's pattern of using livestreams to communicate with their audience without intermediaries.