Sawt Falasteen - Mexican BTS fans go wild as concerts grow near

And K-pop fervor in Mexico is not limited to fans like these young people. Many parents approve of all this passion for the group, which returned to the world spotlight in March following an almost four-year pause so its members could carry out their obligatory military service.

BTS will perform shows in the Mexican capital on May 7, 9, and 10 -- and the more than 135,000 tickets on sale were snapped up in a matter of minutes. President Claudia Sheinbaum even tried in vain to arrange more concerts.

Jude Pelaez was among the dancers who showed up Monday on Paseo de la Reforma, a major thoroughfare in Mexico's capital, for a BTS promotional event to get fans ready for the concerts.

Some kids danced while others put on temporary tattoos, as a poster with black-and-white photos of the seven group members rose up between two street posts.

"Like everyone here, I'm so happy," Pelaez told AFP. "We do these types of events to emotionally and psychologically prepare ourselves, and to prepare the energy and vibe of the place."

"That makes Mexico different," he said.

- 'Let's live life' -

Mare Sousa, 16, said BTS mania is a phenomenon in which "everyone is free to be who they are."

She takes classes in a school called K-pop Dance with around 30 colleagues, most of them women.

The students rehearse their choreography before a mirror even before class starts, and many of them use rest breaks to ask friends for help to correct their steps.

"Take it easy, breathe," 22-year-old teacher Ginna Montoya said.

K-pop fever in Mexico goes beyond dance. Some groups meet in cafes with BTS posters to eat noodles. Other fans take language classes in the South Korean cultural center.

Lucio Campos decided to learn it when his adolescent daughter asked to go to South Korea for her 15th birthday.

"BTS was born with the idea of transmitting healthy questions for young people," Campos said. "Their war cry is 'let's live life, let's live it healthily, let's live well,' and obviously this fascinates me."

Campos said the music contrasts with what he called the sexuality of reggaeton or 'narcocorridos,' a popular subgenre in Mexico that celebrates drug trafficking.

In a room with band photos, Lucio pointed his finger and names the group members. His daughter Ana corrected him. "This is Jin," she said.

"BTS taught me to love myself," Ana said as she went through the pages of an album with photos of the band members and motivational phrases on the back.

- Sheinbaum's letter -

Sheinbaum intervened to help thousands of frustrated fans who were stuck without tickets for the concerts, events that South Korea says have improved its global image.

The South Korean government has cited a study carried out in 26 countries that it says showed a favorable opinion of the Asian nation among 82% of those surveyed.

Sheinbaum asked her foreign minister to write an unusual missive urging South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to see if the K-pop stars could do more concerts in Mexico.

Sheinbaum said her counterpart was "very open" to the request and assured her he had passed the request to BTS's production company. But no new dates were announced.

On the scalping site StubHub, tickets for the BTS shows in Mexico are going for as much as $13,000.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST