As part of their world tour schedule, BTS announced earlier this year that they would perform at Estadio GNP Seguros Stadium (formerly Foro Sol) in мєχι¢σ City on May 7, 9, and 10. Despite three shows being scheduled, all tickets sold out just 37 minutes after going on sale. Ticketmaster reported that up to 1.1 million users simultaneously entered the virtual waiting room to purchase tickets.
A Ticketmaster representative described this phenomenon as one of the most intense and highly sought-after ticket sales in the recent history of мєχι¢σ’s live music industry.
However, the atmosphere within the Mexican fan community was far from celebratory. Over the following week, fans in the country continuously filed complaints about the unfairness and lack of transparency in the ticketing process, including the absence of a published seating map, unclear fee structures, and suspicions of pre-arranged ticket resales.
In response to the backlash from fans, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) announced that it would take strict action against signs of organized illegal activities by ticketing agencies and professional resellers. Meanwhile, the President of мєχι¢σ proposed a different solution, informing the public: "I have sent a formal diplomatic letter to the South кσяєαn President requesting additional BTS performances."
On the 20th of this month (one month after the statement above), Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly released the reply letter from President Lee Jae Myung. In a 2-minute-and-3-second video posted on TikTok, President Sheinbaum—who appeared to have recorded the video at the conference table inside the presidential palace—directly read out the Spanish translation of President Lee’s response.
In the letter, President Lee noted, "I am pleased to confirm that the relationship between South кσяєα and мєχι¢σ, built on mutual respect and trust between our leaders, is growing increasingly deep." He added, "The affection that the Mexican people hold for кσяєαn culture and K-pop clearly demonstrates the profound cultural ties between our two nations."
President Lee further stated that the Mexican leader's intent had been properly conveyed to BTS’s management agency. He elaborated, "Since pop culture activities are led by the private sector, government involvement may be limited; however, I look forward to a positive response in this area in the future."
President Lee also expressed his hope that "both countries will maintain close communication through diplomatic channels regarding this matter," and conveyed his desire to meet President Sheinbaum again soon. The two leaders previously held talks on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in ¢αиα∂α last June.
Concluding the video with footage of a BTS concert, the Mexican President said, "Everyone, let’s wait for good news together now."
Although the efforts of the two leaders appeared positive on the surface, the ARMY community reacted strongly, accusing the Mexican government of “taking credit” instead of addressing the root of the problem. Fans pointed out that the ticket shortage was not due to the number of shows, but rather to fraud and manipulation by ticket scalpers. Instead of cracking down on irregularities in ticket distribution, the Mexican authorities used political power to pressure BTS into adding more shows—an action viewed as evading responsibility and only exacerbating the unfair situation.
Meanwhile, fans also firmly opposed the South кσяєαn President dragging BTS into a “political vortex.” ARMY emphasized that the group is not a diplomatic tool for politicians to exploit or to alter their world tour schedule according to personal agendas. Turning a cultural event into a political pawn was seen as disrespectful to the artists and triggered a wave of outrage across social media:
- This woman is just trying to gain followers by sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. And to top it off, she's not even addressing what we’re actually demanding: fixing the issue with the resellers
- Man, common sense tells you the answer without even needing to read it, but it’s clear that Claudia doesn’t have any common sense at all
- Ugh, this woman got it all wrong! If they’re going to give us an extra date, it should be at the Zócalo. Why would I want more dates at the GNP stadium when the ∂αми ticket mess will just happen all over again and we’ll be left with nothing anyway!
- It’s frustrating how politicians keep using BTS for publicity. If the intention is genuinely to get more tour dates, the proper channel is HYBE, not political speeches. BTS is not owned by any country or president.
- Maybe she should fix the corruption problem between Ticketmaster and scalpers first and not try to use bts as a tourist booster bait through political means. Ministers has no business in bts’ agenda
- If they add another date without addressing the problems with ticketmaster that doesn’t help get the tickets to armys. Resellers will buy the new date. BTS wants to perform for their fans not locals who buy from resellers. Armys have waited years. They deserve the tickets
- No. Clean the mess in your country instead of requesting more dates. They won't help anyway since the tickets go to scalpers instead of ARMY. BTS are not political puppets btw.
- BTS are artists, not political tools. Governments should stop using them for diplomatic PR and respect their autonomy and schedule
- Turning BTS into a diplomatic bargaining chip is disrespectful and unfair. The real issue is ticketing corruption, not the number of shows. Politicians should fix the system instead of pressuring artists.
