Fans revisit old BTS clips after V reveals hearing difficulties

SEOUL – BTS member V’s disclosure that he has been receiving treatment for hearing difficulties has prompted fans to revisit old video clips, with some interpreting previous behavior as possible signs of the condition.

One widely shared clip was taken during the first of the K-pop boy band’s two shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough in the United States on Aug 5.

In the video, V and fellow band member Jimin are seated onstage talking. V, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, appears to turn his head to present his right ear to Jimin.

“Now I understand this interaction,” one viewer wrote.

Another said: “As someone who suffers from Meniere’s, I understand how difficult it is for Tae, especially him as a musician.”

A third wrote: “It’s crazy to think he is able to sing and perform while having this health issue.”

Some fans said the footage appeared to explain behaviour they had previously found curious, while others speculated that the members may have known about V’s hearing difficulties and quietly accommodated him.

Others, however, cautioned against linking every clip to his condition, noting that V was wearing an in-ear monitor in some of the other videos being re-circulated online.

The reactions followed V’s remarks during a live stream on Aug 12 that he had experienced hearing difficulties for the past 2½ years.

“If my hearing on this ear is 100, the other ear can only pick up around 30,” the 30-year-old said, pointing to each ear in turn. “I’m regularly taking prescribed medicine and visiting the doctor often.”

V also said the problem had worsened during his military service.

“This actually started while I was in the military, and after that it got a bit worse,’” he said. V served in the military from Dec 11, 2023, to June 10, 2025.

V has not disclosed a specific diagnosis. Hearing loss in one ear can have a wide range of causes, including conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.

Problems affecting the inner ear can also result in reduced hearing on one side, such as Meniere’s disease, which commonly affects one ear.

According to the Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, prolonged exposure to loud sound can also lead to hearing loss.

The association specifically states that exposure to sound at 90 decibels for eight hours a day, or 105 decibels for more than an hour a day, can cause noise-induced hearing loss.

While hearing may sometimes recover after a period of rest following exposure to loud noise, the association says there is no known treatment that can reverse permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

Prevention, including limiting noise exposure and undergoing regular hearing tests, is therefore particularly important, it says. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK