Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, affirmed Thursday (Sept. 24) that K-pop superstars BTS will return to the Latin American country in 2027, following an official visit by her South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, to the National Palace.
The Mexican leader had already hinted last May that the group would return to the country after the seven members of BTS accepted her proposal to come back next year.
“Tomorrow, the group Stray Kids will perform in our country, and we are also looking forward to BTS’ arrival in Mexico again in 2027,” Sheinbaum said in a joint statement with the South Korean president at the National Palace.
BTS has not confirmed the visit. Billboard reached out to HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS and other major music acts, but did not receive an immediate response.
BTS returned to Mexico in May, after nine years of absence, as part of their successful ARIRANG world tour, performing three sold-out concerts at the GNP Seguros Stadium in the capital. On that occasion, the band made a historic visit to the presidential residence, with all members appearing on one of the balconies and greeting about 50,000 fans gathered at the Zócalo, the country’s main public square, according to figures provided by the city government.
On Thursday, during her morning press conference, the Mexican head of state said she anticipated Stray Kids’ visit as part of Lee Jae-myung’s bilateral meeting in Mexico at the National Palace, where topics such as trade, technology and the K-pop phenomenon were discussed.
Later, dozens of people gathered around the presidential balcony, hoping to catch a glimpse of Stray Kids members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N., similar to what happened with BTS earlier this year. However, only Sheinbaum and Lee Jae-myung appeared to greet the crowd, as shown in videos that went viral on social media.
Stray Kids will perform two shows in Mexico City on Friday and Saturday (Sep. 25-26) at the GNP Seguros Stadium in an event called STRAYCITY, with some local groups opening the concerts.
In her joint statement with her South Korean counterpart, the Mexican president detailed that during their bilateral meeting on Thursday, agreements were signed between the two countries, including those related to culture and education. She revealed that both governments are considering the possibility of establishing a center in Mexico dedicated to K-pop culture, without offering further details.
According to a statement shared with Billboard, HYBE is strengthening its presence in Latin America starting with Mexico, where the company has developed a local operation, its own infrastructure, specialized teams and talent development projects aimed at creating new opportunities for global entertainment from the region.