President Sheinbaum's Letter Asking for "Additional Concerts"
South Korean Government's Principled Stance on "Private-Sector Leadership"
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has made public President Lee Jaemyung's reply regarding her request for additional concerts in Mexico by the group Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS).
According to Yonhap News, in a 2-minute-and-3-second video posted on TikTok on the 20th (local time), President Sheinbaum said, "I asked the President of Korea whether BTS, which is immensely popular among Mexican youth, could hold additional concerts in Mexico, and I received a reply."
In the video, which appears to have been filmed during a meeting at the presidential palace, President Sheinbaum read aloud, in Spanish translation, the reply letter herself. In the released letter, President Lee said, "I am pleased to confirm that the relationship between Korea and Mexico is deepening further, based on mutual respect and trust between our two heads of state," adding, "The affection that the Mexican people show for Korean culture and K-pop demonstrates the depth of the cultural bonds between our two countries."
He then mentioned that Mexico's wishes had been conveyed to BTS's agency, while also expressing a principled position by saying, "Since popular culture activities are led by the private sector, there are limits to government involvement." However, President Sheinbaum explained that he added that he is "looking forward to a positive response in this field."
President Lee also expressed in the letter his hope for close communication through diplomatic channels and his expectation that the two leaders will meet again in the near future. The two heads of state previously held informal talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Canada in June last year.
At the end of the video, President Sheinbaum showed scenes from a BTS concert and said, "Everyone, let's wait together for good news now." She had earlier described the BTS concert as "historic" at a press conference on the 19th of last month, and went on to say that on the 26th of the same month she sent a diplomatic letter to the Korean government requesting additional performances.
The BTS concerts scheduled for May at GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City are planned as three shows with a total capacity of about 150,000 seats, but it is reported that more than 1 million people tried to book tickets. All seats sold out 37 minutes after ticket sales began, and fans, centered on the ARMY fandom, continued to raise issues over the lack of publicly available seating information, the fee structure, and signs of resales. In response, Mexico's Federal Consumer Protection Office (Profeco) announced that it would investigate possible illegal practices by ticketing agencies and resale platforms.
Meanwhile, BTS is scheduled to embark on a world tour of 34 cities starting in April, after releasing its fifth full-length album "Arirang" on March 20.
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