Did Mexico’s Prez Just Insult Stray Kids? Claudia Sheinbaum’s BTS Comparison Comment Sparks K-Pop Debate: ‘Don’t Know If They’re Boys And Girls’

Stray Kids are all set to bring their music to Mexico City on Friday, September 25, as part of their Stray Kids World Tour Latin American schedule, but the group’s visit has attracted attention beyond their highly anticipated concert.

Ahead of the performance, the South Korean boy group is expected to meet Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The meeting is expected to include discussions surrounding the growing presence of South Korean cultural content in Latin America and the role of Korean entertainment in strengthening cultural ties between South Korea and Mexico.

The visit comes as K-pop continues to expand its audience across Latin America, with major Korean artists increasingly becoming part of the region’s mainstream entertainment conversation.

President Sheinbaum herself mentioned Stray Kids during a press conference while discussing the group’s upcoming visit. However, one particular comparison in her comments quickly caught the attention of fans online.

Claudia Sheinbaum Compares Stray Kids to BTS

While speaking about Stray Kids, Sheinbaum described the group by comparing them with another globally recognized South Korean act: BTS.

Sheinbaum said that Stray Kids would be coming and described them as a group “kind of like BTS, but younger.” She subsequently elaborated on the comparison during the press conference.

Sheinbaum said, as quoted by Koreaboo, “They’re kind of like BTS, but younger. I don’t know if they’re boys and girls — they’re young, younger than the members of BTS.”

The comment appears to have been made while discussing the group’s visit and the wider cultural relationship between Mexico and South Korea. However, after footage from the press conference circulated online, the remark quickly became a topic of discussion among K-pop fans.

For some fans, the comparison was simply an attempt to explain Stray Kids’ popularity to a broader audience by referencing one of the world’s best-known K-pop groups. Others, however, felt that comparing the two groups in terms of age was unnecessary.

Fans Debate the BTS and Stray Kids Comparison

The reaction on social media was mixed, with some users criticizing the wording of Sheinbaum’s remarks.

Some fans directed their frustration toward Stray Kids, with claims that the group was attempting to copy BTS. Those accusations were reportedly connected to BTS having visited Mexico City earlier in the year, leading some users to draw comparisons between the two groups’ activities in the country.

One user wrote, “Stray Kids have built their entire image by copying BTS move after move, and their fans are just as shameless always lurking in BTS spaces and even showing up in their own group’s old dorm. Copy the moves all you want, but you still can’t copy the impact,” while another commented, “They want everything BTS has it’s crazy”

“Hahahahahahaha it’s like a ‘smaller BTS’ Hahahahhahahaha what a fucking bear, they’ll always be in their shadow ,” said a third user.

There is no indication from the remarks themselves that Sheinbaum was accusing Stray Kids of copying BTS. The comparison was made in the context of explaining the group to the public, rather than presenting a claim about similarities between their careers or musical identities.

Other fans took issue with the comparison from a different perspective. They argued that Stray Kids were visiting Mexico as South Korean cultural representatives and that placing them in direct comparison with BTS was unnecessary.

Some also felt that describing BTS as older while referring to Stray Kids as younger reduced two distinct groups to a simple age comparison.

A netizen said, “Please respect Stray Kids, they are super talented boys, they’ve struggled a lot, just like BTS, instead of saying who is better, it’s better to say how good it is that both groups are participants in something important, and remember that Bang Chan and Jungkook are friends.”

Another commented, “I do not like them but this was very objectively very rude and disrespectful to Stray Kids AND BTS”

“BTS but smaller” is brutal she really reduced them to a downgrade,” wrote a third one.

Bigger Conversation Around K-Pop’s Global Reach

Despite the online debate, the meeting surrounding Stray Kids’ Mexico visit highlights the growing cultural footprint of K-pop in Latin America.

Groups such as BTS and Stray Kids have helped introduce different generations of international audiences to South Korean music and entertainment. Their growing presence also demonstrates how K-pop has moved beyond being a niche genre in many parts of the world.

Stray Kids have developed a particularly strong international following through their music, performances and extensive global touring schedule. Their Mexico appearance is therefore significant not only for fans attending the concert but also in the context of the wider relationship between South Korean cultural exports and Latin American audiences.

The expected meeting with Sheinbaum and Lee also gives the visit a diplomatic dimension, particularly as governments increasingly recognize entertainment and popular culture as part of international cultural exchange.

Stray Kids’ Mexico Visit Takes Center Stage

As Stray Kids prepare for their Mexico City performance, the online discussion surrounding Sheinbaum’s comments has added another layer to an already high-profile visit.

The president’s BTS comparison has generated debate among fans, but the larger focus remains on Stray Kids’ growing international reach and their appearance in Mexico as part of their Latin American tour.

For fans attending the concert, the September 25 performance will offer an opportunity to see the group on one of their major international stops. Meanwhile, the expected meeting between the Mexican and South Korean presidents and Stray Kids could highlight just how far Korean popular culture has traveled beyond South Korea.

While BTS and Stray Kids occupy different places within the K-pop landscape, Sheinbaum’s comments have nevertheless sparked a conversation about how audiences unfamiliar with K-pop often use established global names such as BTS as a reference point for understanding newer generations of Korean artists.