SEOUL/LONDON—English Premier League club Manchester City has found itself at the center of a heated cultural controversy after posting a Korean-language greeting for the traditional harvest festival, Chuseok, prompting a backlash from some Chinese netizens who assert the holiday is Chinese in origin.
The uproar began when the football club shared a video on its official social media channels to wish its South Korean fans a “Happy Chuseok.” The content featured illustrations of star players, including Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, wearing the traditional Korean attire, Hanbok, and engaging in the folk game Gonggi. A video snippet even showed players offering the greeting in Korean, delighting fans in South Korea.
However, the gesture quickly drew the ire of a segment of Chinese online commentators and media outlets. They accused Manchester City of “encouraging cultural appropriation” by acknowledging Chuseok as a Korean holiday. Major Chinese media, such as NetEase and Tencent News, reported on the escalating domestic outrage.
Allegations of 'Theft' and Demands for Sponsor Action
Chinese netizens specifically criticized the club for promoting what they see as the “theft” of Chinese traditional culture by South Korea. Their argument rests on the fact that Chuseok and the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) share the same date on the lunisolar calendar (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month).
The online criticism was sharp, with some individuals calling for Chinese companies that sponsor Manchester City to withdraw their support in protest. This push reflects broader, ongoing cultural disputes between some netizens in China and South Korea, which have previously involved the origins of items like Kimchi and Hanbok.
Cultural Experts Stress Distinct Traditions
South Korean cultural experts were quick to push back against the claims. Professor Seo Kyeong-deok of Sungshin Women’s University publicly countered the Chinese claims, asserting that while Chuseok and the Mid-Autumn Festival share the same date, their historical origins and core cultural significance are fundamentally different.
“Korea's Chuseok and China's Mid-Autumn Festival have different historical origins and cultural meanings,” Professor Seo stated. He dismissed the arguments as “cultural hegemony” and a clear example of 'Jeokbanhajang' (a Korean idiom for a thief shouting ‘Stop thief!’), urging the critics to cease what he characterized as the "theft" of Korean culture.
Chuseok vs. Mid-Autumn Festival: Shared Calendar, Unique Practices
While both holidays are celebrated on the full moon of the eighth lunar month and share themes of family reunion and gratitude for the harvest, their central customs diverge significantly:
Chuseok (Korea): The primary focus is on ancestral worship and tribute. Families travel to their hometowns (Seongmyo) to tidy ancestral graves (Beolcho) and perform memorial services (Charye) with special offerings of newly harvested food, including the signature crescent-shaped rice cakes, Songpyeon. It is a major three-day public holiday that emphasizes the link between the living family and its ancestors.
Mid-Autumn Festival (China): The festival is primarily centered on moon-viewing and celebrating the harvest. Traditional customs include eating Mooncakes—rich, round pastries—and sometimes lighting lanterns to symbolize unity. While a time for family reunion, the cultural emphasis is distinct from the ancestor-centric rituals of Chuseok.
Manchester City, which routinely creates localized content for its international fan bases to celebrate regional holidays such as the Lunar New Year, has not publicly commented on the controversy. The dispute, however, highlights the increasing friction surrounding cultural heritage in East Asia, where a shared calendar date is insufficient to merge centuries of distinct cultural development.
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