"Lunar New Year Is Not Exclusive to China... It Should Be Referred to as 'Eumnyeokseol'"

Nike, Apple, and now the UN use 'Jungguk Seol' notation
Professor Seokyeongdeok: "Seol is a common holiday in Asia"
The use of 'Lunar New Year' notation is gradually increasing

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University urged a prompt correction regarding the United Nations' official stamps and global companies like Nike and Apple labeling the Lunar New Year as 'Chinese New Year.'

On the 19th, Professor Seo Kyung-duk from the Department of Liberal Arts at Sungshin Women's University pointed out that Nike and Apple referred to the Lunar New Year as 'Chinese New Year' on their online accounts, and that the international organization UN also used the term 'Chinese Lunar Calendar' on the Year of the Rabbit (癸卯年) Lunar New Year commemorative stamps issued on the 20th (local time) this year, following last year.

UN issues Lunar New Year stamp for the Year of the Rabbit on the 20th (local time). [Image source=Photo by Professor Seokyeongdeok SNS capture]

Through social networking services (SNS), Professor Seo expressed, "It is regrettable that even on stamps officially issued by the UN, as well as by global companies such as Apple and Nike, the 'Lunar New Year' is labeled as 'Chinese New Year.'"

He continued, "In Chinatowns of major Western cities, large events have been held to celebrate the Lunar New Year," adding, "As a result, it has often been introduced as a scene in major news from various countries, leading to the perception of it as 'Chinese New Year,' which is a fact."

Nike and Apple expressing Seollal as 'Chinese New Year' [Image source=Photo by Professor Seokyung Deok SNS capture]

Professor Seo emphasized, "During the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics last year, the phrase 'Happy Chinese New Year' appeared, causing misunderstandings among global viewers. However, the Lunar New Year is not a holiday exclusive to China but is celebrated by Asian countries such as Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, so it is appropriate to change the term to 'Lunar New Year.'"

He cited the example of the Canadian Prime Minister in 2021, who said "Happy Lunar New Year. Thank you" during a news broadcast on the day of the Lunar New Year, adding, "Recently, the use of the term 'Lunar New Year' has been gradually increasing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.