January 28, 2026
SEOUL – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum formally asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to help secure additional BTS concerts in Mexico, prompting debate within the K-pop industry over whether the appeal crossed diplomatic boundaries.
Speaking at a daily press briefing Monday, Sheinbaum said she had sent a diplomatic letter to Lee requesting more BTS performances in Mexico, beyond the group’s three scheduled shows at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on May 7, 9 and 10.
“Everyone wants to go,” Sheinbaum said. “Around 1 million young people want to buy tickets, but there are only 150,000 tickets available.”
The South Korean presidential office declined to comment on the matter. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which received the letter, also told The Korea Herald Tuesday that it had “nothing to share” regarding the request.
Official poster for BTS world tour “Arirang.” PHOTO: BIG HIT MUSIC/THE KOREA HERALD
While the remarks underscored BTS’ massive popularity in Mexico, industry insiders cautioned against directing such a request to the South Korean president.
“She should have sent the request to Hybe, not the president,” an official at a major K-pop agency said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“BTS is a global artist, and it’s understandable that she considered domestic fan demand. But these are not state-sponsored events. Asking a foreign head of state to intervene in a private company’s concert schedule is discourteous.”
The official added that a world tour is meticulously planned from the outset, factoring in market research, venue availability and artist schedules, leaving little room for last-minute changes.
“The tour schedule has already been announced. If one country’s request is accommodated, others may follow, and it becomes an issue of fairness,” the official said. “It’s difficult to increase the number of shows before the tour even begins.”
Some flexibility, however, remains.
BTS has already added extra shows in cities such as Tampa, Stanford and Las Vegas following strong local demand after ticket sales opened. Additional tour dates in Japan and the Middle East are also expected to be announced, leaving open the possibility — though not a guarantee — of expanded stops elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Sheinbaum’s request comes amid heightened public attention in Mexico over BTS’ concert ticketing process. Although the group is scheduled to perform in Mexico City for three days in May, many fans failed to secure tickets during the initial global sale rush from last Thursday to Saturday.
Mexico’s consumer watchdog has since launched a probe into Ticketmaster, owned by Live Nation Entertainment, and has moved to sanction resale platforms such as StubHub and Viagogo for what it described as “abusive and disloyal practices,” without providing further details.
Original ticket prices ranged from roughly 1,800 pesos to 17,800 pesos ($100 to $1,030) for VIP packages. On resale platforms, however, prices surged to between 11,300 and 92,100 pesos — exceeding $5,300 in some cases.