BTS’ V Shares He’s Been Battling Hearing Loss in One Ear After Mandatory Military Service

BTS’ V is sharing insight on a previously private health battle.  

The K-Pop band singer (real name Kim Taehyung) shared he’s been dealing with significant hearing loss in one ear for over two years. 

“If my hearing on this ear is 100, the other ear can only pick up around 30,” V explained in an Aug. 12 livestream, per The Korean Times. “I think it’s been about two and a half years. My hearing has gotten worse.”

Indeed, the 30-year-old—who completed South Korea’s mandatory military service between 2023 and 2025—admitted that he initially did not believe the hearing loss was significant.  

“It got a little worse in the military, and since I was surrounded by people who exercised a lot, everyone said, ‘it’s a matter of mental strength,’” he explained. “After that, I kind of convinced myself that it was a matter of mental strength.”

Now, V—who makes up BTS alongside Jung-Kook, Jimin, Suga, RM, J-Hope and Jin—is beginning to right his wrong.