Actor Lee Dong Wook’s past comment about mooncakes has resurfaced and once again stirred attention online.
On August 20, the topic “Lee Dong Wook, Koreans don’t eat mooncakes” started trending on Weibo, China’s biggest social media site. The hashtag reached over 32,000 posts and surpassed 100 million views, showing the heated reaction from Chinese netizens.
The issue began last year during Chuseok in September 2023. On the fan platform Bubble, a Chinese fan asked Lee Dong Wook, “Do Koreans also eat mooncakes during Chuseok?” The actor simply replied, “Chinese fans, in Korea we don’t eat mooncakes. The way we celebrate holidays is different.”
When fans kept pressing the question, he added, “Stop talking about mooncakes.” Asked again about what Koreans eat, he replied with a lighthearted tone, “We eat songpyeon. Hehet.”
However, some Chinese netizens twisted his words, accusing him of “disrespecting Chinese culture” and even criticizing the emoji he used. The incident spread further when Chinese media outlets like China Press and Ifeng, as well as Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, reported that fans were angered by his “direct comment.” Screenshots quickly spread on Weibo, pushing the keyword to No.1 in real-time search rankings at the time.
Now, with Chuseok approaching again, Korean netizens are reacting to the resurfaced controversy. Many defended Lee Dong Wook, commenting, “We don’t eat it. What’s the problem with saying Koreans don’t eat mooncakes?”, “He didn’t even insult it, he just said it’s not part of our holiday,” and “Why force us to eat your traditional food?” Others added, “At this point, it feels like they’re begging him to eat it” and “They overreact even when he says something true.”
Despite the backlash, fans are pointing out that Lee Dong Wook’s response was simple, truthful, and lighthearted, questioning why it became such a big issue.
