MEXICO CITY — In a high-profile convergence of diplomacy, international trade, and global pop culture, K-pop sensation Stray Kids are set to participate in an official bilateral meeting alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the National Palace in Mexico City on Thursday, September 24.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the participation of the globally renowned music group during her morning press conference on Thursday. The high-level presidential meeting is slated to cover a broad spectrum of diplomatic and economic topics, with a primary focus on trade and investment cooperation between Mexico and South Korea. Beyond commercial partnerships, the leaders are expected to discuss the expansion and cultural integration of South Korean entertainment and creative content across Latin America.
“The group coming is called Stray Kids,” President Sheinbaum remarked during her address to the press, highlighting the massive international reach of the ensemble. Comparing them to their legendary predecessors, she added, “They’re kind of like BTS, but younger. I don’t know if they’re boys and girls — they’re young, younger than the members of BTS.”
For clarity, the members of BTS currently range in age from 29 to 33, while the members of Stray Kids—comprising Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N.—range from 25 to 28 years old. Both groups, however, represent the vanguard of the modern Hallyu (Korean wave) phenomenon that has captured audiences across the globe.
President Sheinbaum elaborated on the profound cultural impact that South Korean music, cinema, and television series have achieved within Mexican society. She noted that this burgeoning wave of cultural exchange has successfully bridged geographic distances, bringing Mexican and Korean youth closer together through shared artistic appreciation.
“This is part of what we will discuss,” Sheinbaum explained, emphasizing that contemporary diplomacy increasingly relies on cultural ties and soft power to foster mutual understanding between nations.
In addition to their diplomatic engagements at the presidential residence, Stray Kids are preparing for a massive live performance in the heart of Mexico’s capital. The group is scheduled to take the stage at the Estadio GNP Seguros on Friday, September 25. Demonstrating her administration’s commitment to cultural accessibility, President Sheinbaum confirmed that the Mexican government will gift 10 tickets for the concert to children from low-income families. These tickets will be distributed through the National System for Integral Family Development in Mexico, ensuring that underprivileged youth have the opportunity to experience the global phenomenon firsthand.
When pressed by reporters during the press conference regarding whether there is a possibility that the members of Stray Kids could treat the capital to a free public concert in Mexico City’s historic main public square, the Zócalo, the president offered an open-ended response: “We’ll see.”
Stray Kids’ historic visit to the National Palace marks a significant milestone, making them the second major K-pop group to meet with the president of Mexico within the same year. The precedent was set last May during a visit by global music giants BTS. That visit generated historic scenes in downtown Mexico City, when the members of BTS appeared on one of the stately balconies of the presidential residence to wave to an estimated 50,000 enthusiastic fans—collectively known as ARMY—who had gathered in the Zócalo, according to figures released by the Mexico City government.
The deep diplomatic and cultural ties currently flourishing between Mexico and South Korea have also involved direct administrative engagement at the highest levels. Months prior to these high-profile visits, President Sheinbaum personally wrote a letter to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, formally requesting more BTS concerts in the country.
That diplomatic request arrived amid intense public controversy surrounding the intensely competitive presale and unprecedented ticket demand for BTS’s scheduled performances at the Estadio GNP Seguros. The overwhelming public frustration prompted the Mexican government to step in and demand strict transparency from Ticketmaster Mexico regarding its ticketing processes and allocation procedures.
The booming popularity of K-pop in Latin America has naturally attracted substantial corporate investment from the East Asian nation’s entertainment sector. According to an official press release, HYBE—the South Korean entertainment powerhouse and corporate engine behind BTS alongside several other major musical acts—is actively consolidating its operational presence in Latin America.
The company has chosen Mexico as its strategic hub for the region, establishing local operations, proprietary infrastructure, specialized teams, and talent development initiatives. These localized projects are designed to cultivate domestic talent and forge entirely new avenues for global entertainment originating directly from the Latin American region, cementing a lasting commercial and cultural pipeline between Mexico and South Korea for years to come.
