Mexican President “Disrespecting” Stray Kids And BTS Triggers Criticism

On September 25, Stray Kids will perform in Mexico City as part of their Stray City Latin America tour.

Ahead of the performance, the group will meet with the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum and South Korean president Lee Jae Myung. Sheinbaum spoke during a press conference about the group’s visit, during which it is expected the topic of expansion of South Korean cultural content in the Latin American will be discussed.

Sheinbaum said that Stray Kids would be coming, and described them as a group “kind of like BTS, but younger.”

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.

— President Sheinbaum about Stray Kids

After the press conference was shared online, some expressed complaints about the president’s statements. Some attacked Stray Kids, accusing them of attempting to copy BTS following the group’s own visit to Mexico City earlier this year.

pic.twitter.com/ieFREEldpS 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.

— MBM🎀 (@Aurorahi78) September 24, 2026

They want everything BTS has it’s crazy

— Lari (@jeaykay) September 24, 2026

Others felt that both groups were being disrespected, given that Stray Kids were guests and that the comparison calling BTS “older” was unneeded.

I do not like them but this was very objectively very rude and disrespectful to Stray Kids AND BTS 🙃

— some nuna (@lanunadesuga) September 24, 2026

companies need to stop using kpop groups for things related to politics cuz what the mexican president said about skz was just weird and disgusting. “Idk if they’re boys or girls” is a disrespectful thing to say towards a group who has thousands of fans from your country like wtf

— Hannah & THAT 🖤 (@hanloverr8) September 24, 2026

the genuine disrespect…

i better not see a single stay be in support of this. seeing skz being used as political pawns to get fans to be in support of this corrupt government is just vile, and not to mention the fact that she didn’t even take a single second to research them…

— dia (@d1ament_) September 24, 2026

everybody in the quotes & comments acting dense & getting mad at Stray Kids, but not the President for comparing them to BTS & minimizing both groups here. Nobody is trying to be like anyone or reheat nachos, so much for letting Kpop expand overseas, but getting mad at an invite?

— Carolina 💙 (@moamentsofstay) September 24, 2026