MONTERREY/GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Long before the World Cup brought South Korean fans to Mexico’s streets, a cultural connection between the two nations had already taken deep root. President Claudia Sheinbaum has shared a balcony with K-pop supergroup BTS, and visiting South Korean fans have been welcomed with the chant: “Korean, my brother, you’re now Mexican.” But that warm embrace faces its biggest test yet as the two countries square off in a group stage World Cup match in Guadalajara on Thursday.
“Koreans and Mexicans are like brothers and sisters,” said Annie, a South Korean visiting Guadalajara from California for the game.
The relationship between the two nations is one of the more unusual cultural bonds in the world. Despite being separated by 12,000 kilometers, a 15-hour time difference, and entirely different languages, South Korean culture has found a firm footing in Mexico.
“K-pop is the gateway, but the end result is that many young people end up becoming interested in the language, education, and culture,” said Erika Garza, director of Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon.
The city of Monterrey, a major Mexican industrial hub, shows this influence most clearly. The arrival of Kia and other large South Korean companies over the past decade has brought thousands of South Korean residents to the area.
Nineteen-year-old student Yoona Jwa was part of that wave. Her family relocated from South Korea to Monterrey when she was 8 years old so her father could take a job there. She initially struggled to fit in, with soccer serving as one of the few early bridges between her and her new community. These days, though, the dynamic has flipped — her Mexican friends are the ones picking up pieces of her culture.
“Once I was driving with my friends and they were singing a song I didn’t recognize, and then I realized, they were singing in Korean!” she said.
Throughout downtown Monterrey, the signs of South Korean cultural influence are hard to miss. Store owners sell life-size cutouts of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids and pillows bearing the faces of BTS members.
Outside one K-pop shop, 18-year-old Mexican Christopher Elizondo admitted he has grown so fond of South Korean music — its rhythms and choreography especially — that he isn’t even certain which team he’ll be cheering for during Thursday’s match. He plans to watch from home, where the rest of his family will be firmly backing Mexico.
“It’s going to be a bit uncomfortable,” he said.
The two countries’ World Cup stories have crossed paths before. Back in 2018, Mexico and South Korea were also placed in the same group. Mexico appeared headed for elimination after a 3-0 loss to Sweden, but South Korea’s shocking last-minute victory over Germany rescued Mexico and sent them into the knockout round. Celebrating fans flooded the area outside South Korea’s embassy in Mexico City, where the consul came out wearing a Mexico soccer jersey to greet the crowd. A brewery based in Monterrey even sent a truckload of beer to the local Kia plant in celebration.
Heading into Thursday’s match, Mexico and South Korea sit first and second in their group, each with three points. Mexico is hoping the home crowd will give them an edge — even if a number of K-pop fans are seated in the stands.
Yoona Jwa says the World Cup has actually brought her even more warmth from Mexican strangers. At a Fanfest event in Monterrey on Sunday, she was lifted into the air by celebrating fans. Earlier this week, a woman at a market gave her family free tostadas and wished them luck ahead of Thursday’s game.
Still, the competitive spirit is building.
On Wednesday, at a Korean restaurant outside Monterrey, South Korean native Kevin Kim — who lives in Texas — sat down for lunch with his Mexican business partner, Humberto Osuna. The two have worked together for years in the technology and electronics sector.
“We are good friends,” Osuna said.
But he noted that could change the moment the referee blows the opening whistle.
“Then we will be enemies.”
