Is Lunar New Year a Chinese Holiday? Criticism Surrounding Hollywood Animation 'Minions 2'

Seokyeongdeok "Seol, a holiday celebrated by Asian countries"

Movie 'Minions 2' Still

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Professor Seokyung Deok of Sungshin Women's University announced on the 10th that he requested the Hollywood animation film 'Minions 2' production company to correct the English expression of Seollal (Lunar New Year).

On that day, Professor Seokyung pointed out that 'Minions 2' incorrectly labeled Seollal as 'Chinese New Year' in the scene in the first half that says "When the clock strikes midnight, the start of Seollal." He explained that he sent an email to the production company asking to change it to 'Lunar New Year.'

Professor Seokyung also emphasized, "The correct English expression for Seollal is 'Lunar New Year,'" adding, "Seollal is not a holiday exclusive to China but is celebrated by various Asian countries such as Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia."

He continued, "'Minions 2' is a film watched by many children worldwide, so it should not provide incorrect information," and stressed, "I hope that when providing VOD services in the future, the correction will be made and distributed globally."

Previously, Professor Seokyung has consistently conducted campaigns with Koreans living abroad to change 'Chinese New Year' to 'Lunar New Year.' In February, during the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony, he informed the international community that 'Happy Chinese New Year' was an incorrect expression.

Additionally, Professor Seokyung's team announced plans to produce multilingual videos to change the notation of 'Lunar New Year' (Seollal) to the international standard name.

Meanwhile, 'Minions 2' was released domestically on the 20th of last month and has attracted a cumulative audience of 2,016,710.