BTS’ V revealed Wednesday that he has been suffering from hearing loss for nearly two-and-a-half years, with one ear functioning at roughly one-third of the other.
The singer born Kim Tae-hyung disclosed his condition for the first time Wednesday during a livestream to fans, “If the hearing in my left ear is at 100, it’s only about 30 in my right.” V didn’t detail the cause of the issue.
V’s hearing issues became worse while he was serving his mandatory military service, and at first he ignored the issue, determining it to be “a matter of mental strength,” the BBC reports. As the condition progressed, however, V eventually looped in doctors, and the singer is now receiving medication and going to the hospital regularly to battle the condition.
V isn’t the only BTS member dealing with health issues as the group continues their Arirang World Tour, which concluded its Baltimore dates on Wednesday: Jungkook also revealed during the livestream that he’s been dealing with a shin injury that is “on the verge of developing a stress fracture,” but he’ll continue to perform through the injury.
“There’s a lot of inflammation in my shin and I think there’s some microdamage to the bone,” Jungkook, who has performed seated at a few BTS shows this tour, said. “I’ll be careful with myself so I can finish this tour properly.”
The Arirang World Tour only has four more stops in North America — Arlington, Texas, Toronto, Chicago and a four-night stand at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium — before the trek moves to South America, the south Pacific, Australia, and Hong Kong. The world tour is currently scheduled to conclude March 16, 2027 in the Philippines.
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