By Laura Gottesdiener, Miguel Lo Bianco and Stef Haskins
MONTERREY/GUADALAJARA, Mexico, June 18 (Reuters) - First came the factories, then came the food, and then the pop tunes took over. South Korean fervor in Mexico has been years in the making, growing into a mass movement that has seen President Claudia Sheinbaum share a balcony with K-pop royalty BTS, and visiting World Cup fans greeted with the chant: "Korean, my brother, you're now Mexican."
But that blossoming relationship will be put to the test in Guadalajara on Thursday as the two countries face each other in a group stage clash.
"Koreans and Mexicans are like brothers and sisters," said Annie, a South Korean visiting Guadalajara from California for the game.
The bond between Korea and Mexico is one of the world's stranger geo-cultural love fests. Though the two are separated by language, 12,000 kilometers, and a 15-hour time difference, Korean influence has nonetheless gained a foothold here.
MONTERREY/GUADALAJARA, Mexico, June 18 (Reuters) - First came the factories, then came the food, and then the pop tunes took over. South Korean fervor in Mexico has been years in the making, growing into a mass movement that has seen President Claudia Sheinbaum share a balcony with K-pop royalty BTS, and visiting World Cup fans greeted with the chant: "Korean, my brother, you're now Mexican."
But that blossoming relationship will be put to the test in Guadalajara on Thursday as the two countries face each other in a group stage clash.
"Koreans and Mexicans are like brothers and sisters," said Annie, a South Korean visiting Guadalajara from California for the game.
The bond between Korea and Mexico is one of the world's stranger geo-cultural love fests. Though the two are separated by language, 12,000 kilometers, and a 15-hour time difference, Korean influence has nonetheless gained a foothold here.
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