Ebrard made the statement during an animation festival held in Actopan, a city in Mexico's central-eastern region. When a participant asked him if he would bring the South Korean artists to Mexico, the former minister answered that they could visit the country in 2024 or 2025 after finishing their military service.
The Mexican politician also uploaded a video of himself making the announcement on his TikTok and Instagram with hashtags such as #bts and #btsarmy. The presidential candidate has more than 1.2 million followers on TikTok and 369,000 on Instagram.
Ebrard served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico from December 2018 to June 2023. After leaving the ministry, he has competed with presidential candidates for Morena, the nation's ruling party. The political party unveiled its plan to conduct its first poll regarding the legitimacy of the presidential candidate from July to August. The official presidential election is scheduled to take place on June 2, 2024. The selected leader will take office on December 1, 2024.
Two members of BTS -- J-HOPE and Jin -- are currently fulfilling their compulsory military service. In South Korea, all able-bodied men who are 18 or older must do their service for at least 18 months unless they have a valid reason for exemption. BTS members would be allowed to participate in limited group activities while serving in the military if top officers make an exceptional judgment that their reunion could promote national interest.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
