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“BTS are not political tools” – Fans react to Mexico President’s request to South Korea for more tour dates amid ongoing ticketing issues

    Mexico’s president has taken an unexpected diplomatic route as BTS ticket demand surges nationwide. During a routine briefing on January 26, Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed sending a formal letter to South Korea’s president, Lee Jae-myung. The message conveyed a request for additional BTS concert dates nationwide.

    Global outlets, including Reuters and the Associated Press, reported the statement shortly after. According to Sheinbaum, demand has surged to unprecedented levels, and nearly one million fans are attempting to secure tickets. In contrast, she said that only about 150K seats are available. At present, the K-pop act is scheduled to hold three concerts in Mexico City on May 7, 9, and 10. No additional dates have been announced.

    Sheinbaum pointed to the group’s massive popularity among Mexican youth. As a result, ticket scarcity has fueled public frustration. Over the weekend, attention shifted toward resale practices and consumer protection efforts. In response, she contacted Ocesa, the local promoter. The company is organizing the concerts alongside its CEO, Alejandro Soberón. She asked whether more performances could be arranged.

    With limited options left, Sheinbaum chose a diplomatic approach. She wrote directly to South Korea’s president. The request asked for BTS to visit Mexico more frequently. So far, no reply has been received. Soon after, online reactions intensified. While some fans welcomed the effort, others raised concerns. Many questioned political involvement in an artist’s touring decisions.

    “Leave BTS alone, fix the resellers issues first ffs! And why going to the PM instead of Bighit??! BTS are not political tools!,” an X user commented.

    Leave BTS alone, fix the resellers issues first ffs!And why going to the PM instead of Bighit??!BTS are not political tools!

    Many argued that politicians should not interfere in artists’ tour plans or place pressure on performers.

    While I appreciate the impact, no govt has the power of should even try to interfere w/ BTS and their decision. ESPECIALLY not the govt of SK when we’ve seen exactly what they do when they insert themselves into private BTS business

    most of mexican army ara against what our president said, we do not want BTS to be used for politic clout, we are not asking for extra dates, just that the tickets go to real fans and not to resellers.

    I personally don’t like this. Politician shouldn’t interfere with an artist’s tour. Do not put pressure to artists.

    Some argue that unless scalper-related issues are addressed, extra shows will not change the outcome.

    This isn’t in the SK gov hands! Ugh.. wouldn’t addressing the root cause by investigating and stopping scalpers be more effective? Even if additional dates are added what prevents the same cycle from happening again…?

    She should look into the issue with the resellers instead of putting political pressure on BTS for more concerts. They’ve had enough of politicians already, just leave them alone.

    respectfully she should worry how her citizens are beign scammed for tickets and bts are not puppet of government.​yes I want bts to have multiple dates but that THEIR decision to make not government

    BTS returns to Mexico for historic 2026 concerts

    BTS will finally perform full-group concerts in Mexico City in May 2026, ending a wait that has lasted nearly ten years. The shows are part of the ARIRANG World Tour, the septet’s first international tour since completing military service. It includes 79 concerts in 34 cities across five continents. The schedule begins in April and runs into early 2027.

    In Mexico, the boy band will take the stage on May 7 and again on May 9 and 10. The concerts will be held at Estadio GNP Seguros. The announcement quickly reached national attention. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the concerts as “historic.” She made the statement during a press briefing on January 19. She pointed to their’ worldwide influence and Mexico’s strong fan culture.

    Soon after, excitement turned into concern. Iván Escalante, head of Mexico’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency, known as Profeco, confirmed receiving over 4,000 complaints. These were filed even before presales officially began. Fans raised issues related to unclear ticket prices, added service charges, missing seating information, and unclear sales conditions.

    In response, Escalante said Profeco was asked to examine whether sellers shared complete and accurate details. This includes pricing breakdowns, seating layouts, and purchase terms. He also stated that stronger measures would be taken to protect buyer data during ticket sales.

    Despite the concerns, demand remained overwhelming. Ticket sales opened at 9 am on January 24. Within 37 minutes, all available tickets were sold. Ticketmaster later described the situation as one of the most competitive ticket sales Mexico has seen in recent years. Following the sellout, new issues surfaced.

    Members of BTS’ official fan club raised concerns about coordinated scalping activity. By January 26, resale platforms listed tickets for prices as high as 92,100 Mexican pesos. That amount equals roughly 2.26 million Korean won. As a result, Profeco confirmed plans to open an investigation into Ticketmaster. President Sheinbaum also called for strict oversight.

    This marks BTS’ first full-group performance in Mexico since KCON 2017. The group first appeared in the country in 2014 during Music Bank Mexico. A return followed in 2015 with The Red Bullet Tour. After that, Mexico did not host a complete concert. While j-hope performed solo in Mexico City in 2025 during HOPE ON THE STAGE, those shows did not feature the full lineup.