BTS took over Mexico this weekend. and the reaction showed just how powerful K-pop has become across Latin America.

The excitement grew so intense that Mexico’s president reportedly even asked BTS to add more concert dates.

When the group appeared on a balcony at the presidential palace to greet fans, nearly 50,000 ARMYs erupted into tears and cheers for the seven young men who had traveled from the other side of the world.

According to CNN, ticket prices for the Mexico concerts reportedly climbed as high as $9,000. In Peru, some fans even planted trees so BTS could have a better view from their airplane.

For this episode, Chasing K-pop met three Latina K-pop fans in the middle of Los Angeles to explore a bigger question:

Why has K-pop resonated so deeply across Latin communities?

Daniella, who grew up in Venezuela and has followed K-pop since 2009, said she was drawn to it because it felt completely different from her everyday life, a fantasy that allowed her to escape reality. “These idols feel larger than life to us,” she said.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Naty Olen, who was born and raised in Brazil, spoke to a frustration many Latin American fans share. They have been there since day one, she said, but are almost always the last to receive concert tours, merchandise, and industry attention.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Although the interviews took place in Los Angeles, the three women shared how their Latina identity shaped the way they connected with K-pop.

What does it mean to grow up Korean American, and build a career bridging two cultures through K-pop?

Skyler was nine years old when she moved from Korea to Omaha, Nebraska. With no Korean friends or culture around her, she had only a laptop, sketchy streaming sites, and BIGBANG playing on loop in the dark.

She forced herself to listen to Britney Spears just to make friends. She kept her K-pop obsession to herself for years, and waited for the world to catch up. It finally did. BIGBANG performed at Coachella last week, and Skyler is now an influencer attending the same festival where her favorite artists once performed.

Now based in LA, Skyler is a Korean American content creator, DJ, hot yoga instructor, and K-pop influencer with over 340K followers worldwide.

In this episode, we talk about what Korean American identity actually feels like from the inside, and the real difference between Korean and American K-pop fans.

HYBE announced on Tuesday that Heeseung would be departing from ENHYPEN to pursue a solo career, catching fans off guard. In this emergency episode, ENGENEs from Argentina, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. come together to share how they’re processing the news. A global fan conversation about ENHYPEN, fandom, and the future of K-pop.

Audio Editor: Patrick Lei (@heysaylei)

Coordinator & Assistant: Selena Huynh

#ENHYPEN #Heeseung #Kpop #ENGENE #KpopPodcast