Korean wave in Mexico hotter than tropical weather

Across the Pacific, the Korean wave has arrived in Mexico. 

On June 28, 4,000 fans came for a concert by Korean boy band U-KISS at the Jose Cuervo Salon in Mexico City, filling all the seats. They waved fluorescent sticks and Korean national flags and sang along with the boy band. 

After rounds of encores, when U-KISS sang “Dear My Friend” in Spanish at last, some fans started shedding tears.

Despite steep ticket prices ranging from USD 122 to USD 190, tickets sold out earlier than expected as Mexican fans reacted with passion. The event was the country’s second major concert by renowned K-pop artists since Xia of popular boy band JYJ, or Kim Junsu, performed in Mexico in 2012. 

El Universal, one of Mexico’s leading daily newspapers, reported on K-pop fever in Mexico on June 22 in articles titled “Korean wave arrives” and “Psy multiplies in Mexico.” The article included a picture of U-KISS and reported that tickets for the boy band’s concert were sold out. 

Another Mexican daily newspaper, El Sol de Mexico, also reported on the qualifying round for the K-Pop World Festival held at Lunario Hall in Mexico City on June 15 and the history of K-pop in detail. 

El Sol de Mexico reported that the Korean wave started rising in the early 2000s and that it wasn’t just K-pop but also exports of Korean TV dramas and films that grew at the same time. The newspaper also said K-pop’s popularity is reaching as far as Latin America, Scandinavia, Russia, and Africa. 

The qualifying round for the K-Pop World Festival made headlines in leading newspapers in Mexico.

“K-pop is going to stay as many American producers are putting eyes on them because of their amazing dancing and singing, as well as sticky rhythm,” the newspaper said. “Recently, Korean pop culture has managed to arouse the attention of the public throughout the world, including Mexico. And, in the case of Mexico, Korean soap operas and the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup opened the mind and captured the world’s attention.”

Organized by the Korean embassy in Mexico and Korean Cultural Centers Mexico, the preliminary events were held to select participants for the third annual K-Pop World Festival scheduled for October in Korea. 

A total of 126 teams from across the country submitted their performance videos for the qualifying round and 13 teams were chosen to compete in the event. The figure of 126 is nearly double the 67 teams that took part in the competition in 2012.

In the qualifying round final, Shiareek was chosen in the dance category and PS&Love in the vocal category. 

An article in El Sol de Mexico on the qualifying round for the K-Pop World Festival