Debate over ‘Chinese New Year’ versus ‘Lunar New Year’ arises annually, particularly when brands, celebrities share new year greetings on social media
The controversy emerged on February 17, coinciding with the first day of Chinese New Year. The KRAZY Super Concert, headlined by G-Dragon, featured an array of K-pop artists and pop singers from across Asia, including Indonesian singer Agnez Mo and Chinese pop idol Cai Xukun.
On stage, G-Dragon greeted the audience by saying “Lunar New Year” instead of “Chinese New Year,” triggering immediate backlash from many Chinese fans.
Online footage shows him stating that the day was “Lunar New Year,” repeating “lunar” three times and prompting the audience to echo “new year” after him.
In contrast, when Cai joined the stage as a special guest, he addressed the audience by calling it “Chinese New Year” and invited them to say “Happy New Year” in Chinese.
