Whose New Year Is It? The Truth Behind Chinese Netizens' 'Korea Culture Thief' Frame and the Korea-China Culture War
Using Professor Seo Kyung-deok's 'Lunar New Year' labeling campaign as a pretext, Chinese netizens spread claims via social media that 'Korea is a culture thief' and 'Korea stole China's New Year to create Seollal.' Experts diagnose an inferiority complex stemming from the global spread of the Korean Wave as the underlying cause.
No image available — A directly relevant Seollal image with clear copyright could not be verified in real time; attachment has been omitted. A Wikimedia Commons link is included in the References section instead.
Why you should care now: In February 2026, the moment Korea is reclaiming the world-standard name for the Lunar New Year holiday, Chinese social media has launched a counteroffensive. This debate is a new front in the K-culture hegemony war.
TL;DR
- While Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University was running a campaign to change 'Chinese New Year' to 'Lunar New Year' worldwide, Chinese netizens unleashed a barrage of comments and DMs.
- Key claims: "Korea is a culture thief", "Korea stole China's New Year to create Seollal" — a baseless, repetitive frame.
- Experts analyze that the background is a inferiority complex and cultural appropriation mentality among Chinese netizens driven by the global Korean Wave.
- This controversy is a recurring pattern following Chuseok, hanbok, and kimchi — and the greater K-culture's global influence grows, the more intense these attacks become.
- Korea's response principle: evidence-based rebuttal + sustained international campaign.
Facts: What Happened
Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University has consistently run a campaign to change the 'Chinese New Year' label — used incorrectly across global social media, press, and institutions — to 'Lunar New Year'. The reasoning is that Seollal is a holiday shared by multiple East Asian nations including Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia, and does not belong solely to China.
During the February 2026 campaign period, Chinese netizens (SNS accounts presumed to be Chinese) flooded Professor Seo's account for an entire week, engaging in comment and DM harassment. Professor Seo publicly disclosed this on February 25 via social media, stating that the majority of messages were baseless content and profanity along the lines of "Korea is a culture thief" and "Korea stole China's New Year."
This is not the first instance of such behavior. During Chuseok in 2025, when English Premier League club Manchester City posted a Chuseok greeting video for Korean fans, Chinese netizens collectively protested, claiming their culture had been stolen, and Chinese outlet Tencent News amplified the controversy.
Spread Mechanism: Why This Topic Blew Up in Korea
- Professor Seo's public disclosure — The direct accusation from someone recognized as the 'official face' of Korean cultural diplomacy, not merely an academic, gave the media coverage significant reach.
- Timing right after Seollal — The issue surfaced while the afterglow of the 2026 Lunar New Year (January 28) was still fresh, generating strong empathy.
- Repetition of a pattern — Following hanbok, kimchi, Arirang, and Chuseok, the fatigue and anger of 'China doing this again' with Seollal quickly became an online meme.
- K-content comeback context — Overlapping with K-culture boom news like BTS's Gwanghwamun comeback at the same time made it easy to understand 'why China is doing this.'
Stakeholders: Who Is Involved
| Party | Position / Role |
|---|---|
| Professor Seo Kyung-deok (Sungshin Women's Univ.) | Leading the 'Lunar New Year' campaign; publicly exposing the Chinese netizen harassment |
| Chinese netizens (unidentified individuals) | Spreading the 'culture thief' frame; DM and comment offensive |
| Major Korean media | Joint coverage by Yonhap, News1, Seoul Shinmun, JoongAng Ilbo, Herald Economy, etc. |
| Korean public | Social media empathy, anger, and meme spread |
| Vietnam, Mongolia, and related nations | No direct position stated, but 'Lunar New Year' labeling is a shared interest |
Context and Background: The Structure of Cultural Appropriation
The Northeast Asian Project (東北工程) is a state-level initiative China has pursued since 2002 to reattribute the history and culture of East Asia — including the Korean Peninsula — as Chinese. The derived cultural appropriation movement has spread in online spaces as Chinese netizens' spontaneous (or organized) claims of cultural territory.
Paradoxically, however, the stronger the Korean Wave grows, the more intense these offensives become. With K-dramas, K-pop, and K-beauty being recognized as global standards, Chinese netizens' claims of 'cultural theft' are difficult to support academically or historically.
Regarding the historical origins of Seollal: Korea's lunar first-month seasonal customs are recorded from before the Three Kingdoms period, and the name 'Seollal' and its rituals developed independently. The international community is already moving toward recognizing 'Lunar New Year' as a multicultural shared holiday.
Outlook: How Long Will This Last?
- Short-term (this issue): News cycle expected to end within days. However, as long as Professor Seo's campaign continues, Chinese reactions will intermittently reignite.
- Structural persistence: The 'cultural hegemony competition' frame is long-term. As K-culture's global standing rises, the frequency and intensity of clashes is likely to increase further.
- 2026 trend point: In conjunction with preparations for Korea's 'Visit Korea Year (2027–2029),' as Korean cultural identity campaigns become more organized, China's counteroffensives may also become more systematic.
Secondary Issues and Derivative Points
- Labeling on international platforms: How global platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok label 'Lunar New Year' vs. 'Chinese New Year' could become a diplomatic issue.
- Repetition of the Man City case: Every time global sports teams and brands use Korean holidays in their marketing, Chinese pressure may repeat — creating a risk factor for corporations.
- Structure of public opinion in China: Whether Chinese authorities are condoning or instigating this, or whether it is a spontaneous expression of organic nationalism, changes the diplomatic interpretation.
Risk Checklist
References
- Herald Economy — Chinese netizens claim "Korea is a culture thief… stole 'Chinese New Year'"
- News1 — "Korea that stole Chinese New Year is a culture thief"… Chinese netizens throwing tantrums over 'Hallyu inferiority complex'
- Seoul Shinmun — "Korea is a culture thief, stole China's New Year"… Chinese netizen profanity bomb, what happened
- Yonhap News — Chinese netizens claim "Korea is a culture thief nation" "stole Chinese New Year"
- JoongAng Ilbo — "Korea stole China's New Year"… Chinese netizens' 'comment terrorism' on Professor Seo Kyung-deok's SNS — why
- Wikimedia Commons — Category:Seollal
Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Category:Seollal (to be supplemented after direct URL verification of files with clear copyright)