BTS made an official appearance with the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, ahead of the group’s scheduled sold-out BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ concerts in Mexico City on May 7, 9 and 10. The global superstars – RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – met with the president at the National Palace.
The members spoke to the President for about 40 minutes before they all greeted the public on the presidential palace balcony. Around 50,000 fans gathered at Constitution Plaza in Zócalo Square to greet the South Korean group as they addressed their fans, known as ARMY, in both Spanish and English, thanking them for their love and support.
Fans, who waited for hours, cheered for the group, even singing several of their songs from their new album, ARIRANG, including “Body to Body,” which uses a snippet of South Korea’s folk song, “Arirang.”
RM thanked the crowd for being there, in a mix of Spanish and English, “We can’t wait for tomorrow’s concert on stage. Let’s have fun together! Te amo. Te quiero. Muchas gracias.”
V then addressed the crowd in Spanish, telling them he didn’t speak it well but would try. He told the massive crowd, “I have missed you all. We have missed Mexico so much. The energy here is incredible. Thank you so much for loving us. See you next time. Goodbye.”
President Sheinbaum responded, “I have already asked BTS to come again next year.”
Before leaving, V shouted to the crowd, “Mucho picante!” (meaning ‘Very Spicy’), as a term of endearment that he expressed during the ARIRANG concert in El Paso.
RM, SUGA, and Jimin later posted images and videos of the massive crowd on their Instagram stories. Sheinbaum posted a group photo they took at the National Palace, with her holding a signed vinyl. She noted in Spanish, “I warmly welcome one of the most beloved groups among the youth of Mexico: BTS. Music and values unite Mexico and South Korea.”
With more than 14 million K-pop fans on Spotify, Mexico has the fifth-largest market for the genre, and is the only Spanish-speaking country in the Global Top 10. BTS (and Jimin) are the most played among Mexican K-pop fans.
The group last performed in the country in 2017 at KCON Mexico at the Mexico City Arena. Now, nine years later, BTS will be playing at the Estadio GNP Seguros for three nights, reportedly selling over 150,000 tickets in just 37 minutes. According to the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce, the BTS ARIRANG concerts are projected to contribute approximately $115.3 million to the local economy.
BTS is set to perform at Estadio GNP Seguros for rthree sold-out concerts on May 7 and May 9–10 in Mexico City.
