- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum posted a TikTok video on Feb. 20 reading a response from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who confirmed he had forwarded her request for more BTS shows in Mexico to the band’s agency, BigHit Music.
- Roughly 150,000 seats across three Mexico City shows on May 7, 9, and 10 sold out in 37 minutes, against demand from over one million registered buyers.
- Profeco has probed Ticketmaster and sanctioned StubHub and Viagogo over resale pricing.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday posted a two-minute TikTok video reading a letter from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, in which he confirmed he had passed along her request for additional BTS concert dates in Mexico to the group’s management. The exchange came roughly four weeks after Sheinbaum announced she had sent a formal diplomatic letter to Seoul asking for more shows.
"I am pleased to confirm that relations between Korea and Mexico, based on mutual respect and trust between our leaders, continue to deepen," Lee wrote, according to the Spanish translation Sheinbaum read aloud. He acknowledged that most entertainment scheduling is handled by private companies but said he hoped for a positive response from the agency. Sheinbaum ended the video by telling viewers to "look forward to some good news."
BTS is scheduled to perform three nights at Estadio GNP Seguros on May 7, 9, and 10 as part of the Arirang World Tour, which opens April 9 in Goyang, South Korea. The album it supports, Arirang, crossed 3 million Spotify pre-saves before its March 20 release. The tour spans more than 82 dates across 34 cities in 23 countries, the largest the group has undertaken, according to the tour’s Wikipedia entry and tour organizer Live Nation. All 41 announced North American and European stadium dates have sold out, with European cities including London, Madrid, and Paris clearing inventory in under 60 minutes.
Demand at the Mexico City presale on Jan. 23–24 overwhelmed supply from the start: roughly one million fans registered for tickets to shows with a combined capacity of about 150,000 seats. Those seats were gone within 37 minutes of general sale opening, according to Sheinbaum’s Jan. 19 press briefing and reporting by The Korea Herald.
Mexico launches Ticketmaster probe after BTS ticket prices surge on resale sites
The sellout triggered an immediate backlash over pricing. Fans complained about undisclosed seating charts and hidden fees during the initial sale. On the secondary market, tickets that originally ranged from roughly 1,800 to 17,800 pesos (–1,030 USD) appeared on resale sites at prices as high as 92,100 pesos, equivalent to more than $5,300, according to The Korea Herald. Mexico’s Profeco announced probes into Ticketmaster and moved to sanction StubHub and Viagogo for what the agency described as “abusive and disloyal practices.”
Live Nation, which promotes the Arirang tour, reported in its full-year 2025 earnings released Feb. 19 that BTS had sold out a 41-date stadium tour, alongside record-setting pre-sale figures for Bruno Mars and Harry Styles. The company posted total 2025 revenue of $25.2 billion, up 9% year-on-year, and said early 2026 ticket sales were up double-digits to approximately 67 million fans. Live Nation did not provide a separate revenue figure for BTS dates in North America and Europe in those results.
Lee and Sheinbaum last met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June 2025. Lee’s letter also expressed hope that “both nations will maintain close communication through diplomatic channels” and that he looks forward to meeting Sheinbaum again soon, according to The Korea Times.
