Mexico asks South Korea to help secure more BTS concerts amid high demand

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has formally asked South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, to help arrange more concerts by K-pop group BTS in Mexico, saying “Everyone wants to go,” she told reporters and adding she had sent a diplomatic letter. Sheinbaum said around 1 million young people want to buy tickets but there are only 150,000 available.

The band is due to launch a global tour in April, shortly after releasing their first new album in three years, Arirang, following a hiatus since 2022 while members completed mandatory military service. Only three concerts were initially scheduled in Mexico, all in Mexico City, prompting a worldwide scramble for tickets.

Mexico’s consumer watchdog has opened an investigation into Ticketmaster and is sanctioning resale platforms StubHub and Viagogo for “abusive and disloyal practices” over the BTS ticketing process, without giving more details. Tickets had been listed on Ticketmaster from about 1,800 to 17,800 pesos (around $100 to $1,030) and on resale sites from 11,300 to 92,100 pesos (more than $5,300).

The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The watchdog said it would help develop new guidelines to better regulate ticket sales, with prices and locations established ahead of release. BTS’s new album is slated for release in March and the world tour will begin in Goyang, South Korea, on 9 April.