French Football Club Lee Kangin Plays For Labels 'Lunar New Year' as 'Chinese New Year'

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the French professional football team that Lee Kangin plays for, has recently sparked controversy by referring to the 'Lunar New Year' as 'Chinese New Year'.

Seo Kyungduk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, stated on Facebook on February 13, "Prestigious European football clubs have labeled this year's holiday as 'Chinese New Year' instead of 'Lunar New Year' on their social media accounts." He pointed out, "It is an even bigger problem that well-known clubs with a large global fan base, such as PSG from France's Ligue 1, Real Madrid from Spain's La Liga, and AC Milan from Italy's Serie A, have used this term."

He continued, "Lunar New Year is not a holiday exclusive to China; it is celebrated in various Asian countries including Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia." He criticized, "For leading European clubs to label it as 'Chinese New Year', as if it were a holiday unique to China, disregards the universal cultural practices of the Asian region."

[Image source=Professor Seo Kyungduk Facebook]

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Professor Seo added, "At the end of last year, the United Nations designated Lunar New Year as an 'optional holiday', and earlier this year, the New Jersey State Senate in the United States adopted a resolution to establish Lunar New Year as a commemorative day. Significant changes are also taking place within the United States." He explained, "In 2021, the Canadian Prime Minister made headlines by saying 'Happy Lunar New Year. Gamsahamnida' during a news broadcast on the day of the holiday, which reflects the global trend of shifting towards the use of 'Lunar New Year' in official terminology."

Furthermore, Professor Seo stated, "Just as we have brought about change through persistent protests against the use of the Rising Sun Flag motif by prominent European clubs, I plan to soon send protest emails to raise awareness about the legitimacy of using 'Lunar New Year'." He added, "From next year, I will work to ensure that major European clubs properly use the term 'Lunar New Year' in their communications."

Previously, Professor Seo also expressed his support in December last year when the United Nations designated Lunar New Year as an optional holiday. At the time, he said, "This is highly significant, as most international organizations and global companies have so far incorrectly referred to it as 'Chinese New Year'." He went on to emphasize, "Even the commemorative stamps for Lunar New Year, which the United Nations issues annually, should be changed to read 'Lunar New Year'. I will continue to run campaigns so that people around the world can understand the holiday accurately."

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