Lunar New Year isn’t just for the Chinese.
That was the message to Mayor de Blasio by some Korean civic leaders who were miffed the holiday greeting that he sent out Friday singled out the Chinese-American community.
“[The] Lunar New Year is not a Chinese holiday — it’s the celebration of many Asians including Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese,” said Yoonhee Choi of the Korean American Parents Association of Greater New York, who fired off a letter to de Blasio and his staff Monday morning.
She also said de Blasio’s greeting — which was written in Mandarin and English — should have been translated into several Asian languages instead of only the two.
“New York City is exceptionally proud of its vibrant Chinese community,” de Blasio said in his holiday statement issued Friday to the press, including Chinese- and Korean-language media outlets. “We thank our Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for all of their contributions to this city and nation — be it in art, history or economic vitality.”
J.D. Kim of the Korean American Association of Queens said he wanted to “gently inform the mayor that Lunar New Year has also been celebrated for centuries by Koreans and that Korean-Americans in New York City have certainly carried on that tradition.”
Kim pointed out that Korean-Americans have become a vital part of city life.
“Two small examples (are) that Korean-Americans run roughly 80 percent of all dry cleaning business and have made fresh produce available in many areas in the city that would otherwise have been cut off from access,” Kim said.
De Blasio’s office told The News that the mayor is “deeply grateful for the contributions of the Korean-American community to the fabric of our city.”
Assemblyman Ron Kim, the first Korean-American elected to statewide office, came to de Blasio’s defense.
“I know for a fact that the mayor and his staff are aware that Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian American groups, including the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean communities,” the lawmaker said.
He also pointed out deBlasio has joined Asian-American leaders to back a plan that would make Lunar New Year a school holiday.
But Choi said this is not the first time she has tried to correct de Blasio on the issue. During the campaign season, Choi said she reached out to one of his staffers about referring to the holiday as Chinese New Year.
“As the New York City mayor, he must understand the correct information of the nature of Asian culture,” she said.
