Lunar New Year, North Korea vs. South Korea (Chinese New Year) 2022 | 🐯

Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Lunar New Year to everyone around the world!

🇰🇷 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

🇰🇵“새해 를 축하합니다!"

新年快乐！
(See below for how to pronounce these, or watch the video!)

Big extra special Happy New Year to my Patrons;


C.T.F
James Yuanxin Li
Charles Klingman


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This video looks into the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) and how it's celebrated in both North and South Korea - including any similarities and differences!

As some of you may know, Chinese new year, or Lunar new year, fell last week on the 1st February, and celebrations for this last for days - especially the day before, on the day of NY, and the day after.

I spent my time with the awesome crew at LTL Mandarin School. Check them out if you're interested in learning Chinese! (not sponsored, just love 'em!)

- Lunar New Year History…


Chinese New Year is certainly the biggest celebration in the Chinese calendar and remains an important celebration in the Korean calendar - and indeed for all those that use the lunar calendar.

This is a very old tradition, dating way back even to the 7th century, and therefore, of course, pre-dates separation and is celebrated in both north and South Korea.

During Colonial Korea, from 1910 - 1945 when Korea was under Japanese rule, the Japanese supressed the celebration of this holiday and so for a while it was lost to history.

In the 1980s, the governments in both North and South Korea respectively decided that due to its historic significance, the Lunar New Year and its traditions should not be lost and it was officially re-instated as the official new year and public holiday.

- Similarities

Since it’s a traditional holiday dating back pre-separation and way further, many traditions still remain.

The day is traditionally spent with family and paying respects to ancestors by performing ‘ancestral rites’.

People will celebrate by wearing traditional costumes (handbook / chosen to) and eating traditional foods, such as Tteokguk. This is a traditional soup eaten every year for the new year.

Both also celebrate New Years on 1st January with fireworks etc like a lot of the world does!

- Differences with North and South Korea

When meeting people on Seollal, South Koreans say "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo (May you receive lots of luck in the new year)," while North Koreans say "Saehaereul chuckhahabnida (Congratulations on the new year)."


In North Korea, there is no mass migration as is witnessed in South Korea where people leave big cities to go back to their hometowns. North Koreans simply spend the holiday at home.

(Other NK specific things include mass dances and visiting statues of the leaders to pay respects.

- This Year in North Korea footage

This year in North Korea, Kim Jong Un and his wife attended a New Year’s concert in Pyongyang.

Let me know where and how you spend your Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Years!

🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯

#lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #yearofthetiger