Cristiano Ronaldo Draws Flak From Koreans For Using “Chinese New Year” Instead Of “Lunar New Year”

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has fans from all over the world, so it's no surprise he took to his Weibo page to wish his Chinese fans a happy new year. 

“Dear my friends from China, I would like to send my dearest wish to you all for a happy Chinese New Year. Enjoy the holiday moment with your family and hope to see you soon,” wrote the 37-year-old footballer.

As sweet as his sentiments were, Ronaldo’s message did not sit well with the Koreans.

The Korean media reported that the star neglected to acknowledge his fans in Korea, Vietnam, Philippines and other Asian countries who also celebrate the holiday, and that he should have used the term “Lunar New Year” instead of “Chinese New Year”.

Ronaldo is not the first star to come under fire for using the term “Chinese New Year”.

On Jan 19, Danielle Marsh from K-pop group NewJeans posted a message to her fans, asking them what they were doing “for Chinese New Year”.

Her message angered Korean netizens, who celebrate Seollal, which is the name of the Korean version of Chinese New Year and is observed during the same period.

Danielle posted an apology two days later, saying that she deleted her message as soon as she realised her mistake. She also said that her “choice of words [were] inappropriate”.

Since the controversy, fans have come to the defense of both Ronaldo and Danielle.

Some mentioned that it was okay to use the term “Chinese New Year” as the holiday originated from China, while others said they also use the same term in their countries.