By Jae-rim Lee, Journalist
Summary: A pre-candidate from the ruling party for the Mexican presidential election next year has gained attention by promising to invite BTS, the popular South Korean boy band, as part of their campaign.
Marcelo Ebrard, the former Foreign Minister from the ruling party, National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), attended an animation festival held in the central part of the country on the 8th, aiming to appeal to the younger generation.
During the event, when asked about the possibility of inviting BTS, who appeared to be K-pop fans among the festival participants, Ebrard replied, "In 2025? (After the members) complete their military service, it could be possible, or maybe in 2024."
Holding a poster made by combining pictures of BTS members, Ebrard smiled and added, "I hope we can bring them (here), or I hope they invite me."
Ebrard shared the video containing the mention of BTS on his social media platform, TikTok, with a caption saying, "What do you think? Shouldn't we definitely bring them (BTS)?" He also included hashtags(#) such as 'bts' and 'btsarmy' for related searches.
Local broadcasters and newspapers, including Milenio, TeleDiario, and El Financiero, showed interest in Ebrard's statement and continued to report on the supportive comments attached to the TikTok video.
Ebrard, who served as the Foreign Minister since the inauguration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in December 2018 but left public office last month following the rules for primary candidacy in the ruling party, is one of the few 'Hallyu fans' and K-pop fans in Mexico. He even attended the Blackpink concert held in Mexico City last April.
In his recently published autobiography, he highly praised South Korea's competitiveness.
While Ebrard competes with other potential candidates, including Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, and Adan Augusto Lopez, the former Minister of the Interior, it is reported that Ebrard's support rate slightly lags behind Sheinbaum's.
While the opposition faces difficulties due to internal divisions and personnel issues, the ruling party plans to conduct an initial opinion poll on the suitability of the presidential candidates in July or August. After establishing certain criteria, they will proceed with a second opinion poll in December targeting the candidates who pass the cutoff.
The Mexican presidential election will be held on June 2nd next year, with the term beginning on December 1st of the same year.
https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0014054624?sid=104
