Everyone Gives a Thumbs Up to Mickey Mouse in Hanbok Lunar New Year Greetings... Only Chinese Netizens Complain

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, iconic characters representing Walt Disney, have caught attention by wearing hanbok and sending New Year greetings, while some Chinese netizens expressed discomfort.

On the 18th, Walt Disney theme park Disneyland officially released a video on its social media (SNS) account showing the Lunar New Year celebration event held at Disneyland in California, USA. The video included the phrase "Happy lunar new year" along with New Year greetings in Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Notably, for the first time in this event, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse appeared wearing hanbok.

On the 18th, Walt Disney theme park Disneyland released a video on its official SNS account showing the Lunar New Year celebration held at Disneyland in California, USA. The video included the phrase "Happy lunar new year" along with New Year greetings in Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Notably, for the first time in this event, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse appeared wearing hanbok. Disneyland Instagram

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In the past, the Lunar New Year was an unfamiliar concept in the West, so the expression "Chinese New Year" was used. This is believed to be due to large-scale celebrations held in Chinatowns of major Western cities during the Lunar New Year. At Disneyland, only characters emphasizing Chinese culture were seen, but recently, efforts to understand the Lunar New Year as an East Asian holiday have expanded, leading to a trend of reflecting diverse cultural elements.

Netizens who saw this responded with comments such as "Hanbok is cute," "Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are wearing hanbok," and "Happy New Year to everyone in advance." However, some netizens presumed to be of Chinese descent expressed displeasure along with Chinese flag emojis. They left comments on the SNS account such as "Happy Chinese new year," "It’s not Lunar New Year but Chinese New Year," and "Calling Chinese New Year the Lunar New Year is a clear cultural distortion and cultural invasion," showing strong reactions.

Previously, these netizens had also left malicious comments on various SNS accounts last year. In particular, they challenged the British Museum’s use of "Lunar New Year" by insisting on "Chinese New Year." When the British Museum actually changed the wording, Chinese netizens appeared to leave negative comments on Disney’s SNS accounts as well. However, Disney continues to maintain the use of "Lunar New Year." Meanwhile, the Lunar New Year celebration event held locally in the U.S. will continue until the 16th of next month, and Korean food menus are also available.

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