Lee attends Stray Kids' cultural exchange concert in Mexico, hails 'immense power of K-pop'

MEXICO CITY — President Lee Jae Myung joined thousands of K-pop fans to watch boy band Stray Kids’ concert — symbolizing friendly ties between Korea and Mexico — at a stadium in Mexico City on Friday and said the experience demonstrated the “immense power of K-pop.”

Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung watched part of the Korea-Mexico cultural exchange festival, titled “Straycity,” at Estadio GNP Seguros during their state visit to Mexico.

“I can feel the immense power of K-pop in showcasing Korea as a cultural powerhouse to the world,” Lee wrote on his X account on Friday, sharing eight seconds of footage of a sea of fans holding light sticks. He also credited Park Jin-young, the founder and chief commercial officer of JYP Entertainment and co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, for putting the event together.

Upon arriving at the venue, Lee met with the band to offer words of encouragement to the eight members.

Ahead of the concert, the presidential couple sat with 10 Mexican youths at the venue to discuss K-pop’s appeal and deepen mutual understanding of both cultures, Seong Ghi-hong, the presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said in a statement on Friday.

Lee greeted the group in Spanish, saying, “Hola, amigos,” evoking laughter from the youths.

“I am truly grateful for the love shown toward K-pop,” he told them. “It seems that culture connects not only individuals but also nations.”

Lee has reiterated the importance of culture as a growth engine during his four-day trip to Mexico, which began on Wednesday.

“My childhood dream was to attend a concert at a large venue and enjoy the performance, though I never actually got to do that,” he said. “I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to fulfill that dream.”

Lee then asked the Mexican youths why they like K-pop, and Kim followed up by asking which Stray Kids member they liked best.

One youth replied, “Felix,” and the first lady responded, “Oh, we like the same person.”

She also shared her knowledge of the group, mentioning leader Bang Chan’s nickname, “Bang-beoji,” a portmanteau of his name and the Korean word for father, abeoji.

“I hope that tonight’s performance becomes an unforgettable memory for you,” she said. “Thank you so much for loving K-pop.”

JYP’s Park; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young; and ruling Democratic Party Rep. Lee Jae-jung, who also chairs the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism committee, attended the event.

The presidential couple thanked the participants for their love of K-pop and gave them ecobags decorated with Korean script and filled with popular K-food and K-beauty products, Seong said.

They then headed to their second-floor balcony seats and waved Stray Kids light sticks as they greeted the audience. Kim stood alongside Mexican Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza.

Park introduced Stray Kids at the beginning of the concert. The performance then began with the crowd chanting, “Corea.”

Lee and Kim watched the beginning of the show but did not stay for the entire concert.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Stray Kids’ performance in a press appearance alongside Lee after their bilateral summit at the National Palace on Thursday.

“A Stray Kids concert is taking place tomorrow, and we are also looking forward to a visit by BTS in 2027,” Sheinbaum said as the two leaders shared ways to strengthen cultural exchanges.

In a video posted to her official TikTok account on Thursday night, Sheinbaum mentioned, “We thought that perhaps [Lee] was coming with Stray Kids.”

As a result, dozens of fans gathered outside the National Palace on Thursday, hoping to get a glimpse of the band, but only Sheinbaum and Lee appeared on the presidential balcony to greet them.

In May, Sheinbaum presented BTS with a commemorative plaque from the Mexican government during their meeting at the presidential office.

Stray Kids had two shows scheduled at the Estadio GNP Seguros on Friday and Saturday. This marked the third stop of the “Straycity” tour, following Bogotá, Colombia, on Sept. 9 and Buenos Aires on Sept. 14 and 15.

The octet had previously performed in Mexico City in April 2025.

According to the Culture Ministry’s overseas Korean Wave survey this year, positive perceptions of Korea in Mexico stood at 82.8 percent, with engagement rates for K-culture content, such as music and film, ranging between 70 percent and 80 percent.

“The government plans to continue actively supporting the creative activities of artists and creators to ensure that K-culture remains beloved worldwide,” Seong said.

During their summit on Thursday, Lee and Sheinbaum agreed to create an environment in which the two nations can jointly produce content.

Lee and Kim were set to return to Korea Sunday, wrapping a weeklong trip that also took them to New York for the UN General Assembly. 

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]