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| yna@yna.co.kr 2023-04-27 16:52:26
SEOUL, Apr. 27 (Yonhap) -- The already-hot Mexico City, with its midday temperature going over 30 degrees Celsius, was heated up once again with the K-culture craze.
Mexico City’s Foro Sol, the city’s flagship event venue and sports stadium, on Wednesday (local time) was riffling with pink waves from early morning. The venue was flocked with K-pop fans who came to enjoy the supergroup BLACKPINK’s very first concert in Mexico, long before the scheduled event time (9 p.m.), reflecting their uprush of joy and skyrocketing expectations.
The venue was also packed with merchants selling merchandise representing the quartet, such as hats and T-shirts, as well as those who sold tacos, quesadillas, and hamburgers.
Maria, a 22-year-old college student from Mexico with a friend, said with excitement, “Today is the day I have been dreaming about for so long,” adding, “I am just so happy that I can listen to my favorite song live.”
BLACKPINK’s long-awaited concert has been scheduled to be held at Foro Sol, which can accommodate up to 50,000 seats, for two days until Thursday. The seats were long since sold out.
Those who visited the venue with their family members or children, as well as elderly people, could easily be spotted.
“I came with my 14-year-old and 16-year-old daughters,” said Jose Luis, 40, with a smile. “I am going to let my daughters, who are huge fans of K-pop, go enjoy the concert while I wait outside. I guess the concert will end late at night, so I may be taking a peek over the nearby wall.”
Meanwhile, the venue was also filled with fans in their 20s who came from all across Colombia and Panama only to meet this Korean girl group.
Maria Herrera, a 26-year-old Colombian fan, could not keep a firm hand on herself and said, “I arrived on a plane yesterday and spent the night at the house of a Mexican friend whom I got to know from BLACKPINK’s fan club. I am ready to enjoy the concert to its fullest.”
Even the area around the building that stands a little away from the stadium was crowded with people who fell in love with Korean culture. The three-story building was covered with signboards with Korean words written all over as if it were in downtown Seoul.
This event was exclusively organized by Netflix, which recently unveiled its plan to invest a whopping 3 trillion won in Korean content. The signboards covered the front of the building, with the titles of the hit Netflix Korean-language series imprinted. There were photo booths and karaoke facilities installed inside along with drinks, which were also packed with crowds that some had to step away after waiting in a long line.
Orlanda, 18, who is a huge fan of another supergroup BTS, said, “It is a shame that this event will be opened only until tomorrow,” adding, “It is a pleasure to enjoy such an opportunity to experience something different, which I was only able to watch online.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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