Over 50,000 Fans Gather as Global K-pop Sensation BTS Meets Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Historic Mexico City Visit
Global K-pop sensation BTS met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ahead of their highly anticipated concerts in Mexico City, underscoring the group’s immense popularity and significant cultural influence across the nation.
During her regular morning press briefing, President Sheinbaum personally confirmed to local media that BTS would visit the presidential office on Wednesday, engaging with fans from the iconic National Palace’s open balcony. She warmly described BTS as a band that “always delivers messages of friendship, peace and love,” resonating deeply with the Mexican public.
This significant meeting with President Sheinbaum preceded BTS’ highly anticipated “Arirang” world tour concerts, scheduled for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros. All three shows, a testament to BTS’ overwhelming popularity in Mexico, sold out almost immediately after tickets were released.
Earlier in January, when tickets first went on sale for these landmark BTS Mexico City concerts, President Sheinbaum had already hailed them as a “historic moment,” acknowledging the long-standing anticipation of Mexican fans for the K-pop group’s return.
Beyond the cultural excitement, BTS’ visit and the extensive concert series are expected to generate a substantial economic impact for Mexico City. The Mexico City Chamber of Commerce projects these highly attended K-pop concerts will inject approximately $107.5 million into the local economy.
Compelling streaming data further underscores BTS’ unparalleled popularity among K-pop fans in Mexico.
Figures released last year by Spotify firmly establish Mexico as the fifth-largest K-pop streaming market worldwide. Within this robust market, BTS stands out as the most-streamed K-pop artist among local Mexican listeners. Their 2020 album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” was recognized as the most-streamed K-pop album in Mexico, with an impressive eight of BTS’ releases dominating the top 10 album spots on the chart.
The group’s 2020 global hit, “Dynamite,” was also crowned the most-streamed K-pop song in Mexico since the genre’s monumental global boom. Remarkably, seven of the top 10 songs on that very same chart were powerhouse BTS tracks.
The globally acclaimed K-pop group is currently navigating its extensive “Arirang” world tour across North America, encompassing 31 electrifying shows in 12 vibrant cities. Following their three sold-out engagements in Mexico City, BTS is slated to perform five additional shows in Stanford, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, before concluding this leg of the tour and returning to Busan, South Korea, for a highly anticipated two-day concert event in June.
