The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and many people are getting ready with mooncakes, barbecues, pomelos, and other traditional preparations. Koreans also place a lot of importance on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but instead of mooncakes, they eat songpyeon (Korean rice cakes). Unexpectedly, this different way of celebrating caused Korean actor Lee Dong Wook to be harshly criticized by Chinese netizens. During a chat with fans last September during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lee Dong Wook said, “Koreans don’t eat mooncakes during Chuseok (Korean Mid-Autumn Festival),” and even included what appeared to be a rolling eyes emoji. He was immediately targeted by Chinese netizens, who angrily accused Korea of “stealing the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Last Mid-Autumn Festival, while chatting with fans online, Lee Dong Wook shared that he was enjoying the holiday. A Chinese fan asked, “Did you eat mooncakes?” Lee Dong Wook straightforwardly replied: “Chinese fans, in Korea we don’t eat mooncakes… Every place celebrates differently, so please stop asking about mooncakes, hehe,” adding what looked like a rolling eyes symbol.
Fans were curious about what Koreans eat for Chuseok, to which Lee Dong Wook responded: “We all eat songpyeon, hehe,” and also attached a winking emoji sticker. What seemed to be a simple exchange of Mid-Autumn Festival traditions was later shared on Weibo, instantly trending on the hot topics list.
Although there was nothing inappropriate in the conversation, the rolling eyes emoji in the text made Chinese netizens unhappy; they felt Lee Dong Wook was belittling mooncake culture and responded with comments such as: “Is the Mid-Autumn Festival yours? Why do you even celebrate it?”, “It's better if you don't eat it. You’ve already stolen the Mid-Autumn Festival, so don’t steal mooncakes too”, “Now I can’t rewatch ‘Goblin’ anymore”, “Eat or don’t eat, but why roll your eyes,” and more.
Source: Today News