South Korea is introducing the international age and everyone is getting younger

In South Korea, a lot of people One year younger from June 28, 2023. This is because the three age calculation methods have been unified in the Asian country. Traditionally, Koreans believe that if they eat tteokguk (rice cake soup) on New Year’s Day, they will live a year – so if you don’t eat it, you won’t get old (not sure how old it actually is. ).

Therefore, anyone born in South Korea does not grow old with their date of birth. As the new year begins, every South Korean becomes an adult—at least that’s the traditional Korean age (“세는 명” [se-neun-na-i]) In addition, they do not start at day zero and then have to wait until the New Year, which makes them a year older. They are already one year old on their birthday.

But it means that the newborn is already two years old on the second day of life. Because if it was born on December 31, it would already be one year old, and when the New Year begins the next day, it would suddenly be two years old.

International Age and Calendar Age

South Korea is the only country that officially uses this age calculation system in everyday life. Not so in North Korea, where the international age system is adopted. However, when it comes to legal or official purposes in South Korea, such as determining the voting age or driving, the situation is different: the international age system also applies here. International Age (“만(滿)나이” [man na-i]) is based on date of birth – just like in other countries.

Then there’s the calendar age (“연 모” [yeon na-i]) the year of birth is subtracted from the current year. This age is relevant, for example, to the Military Service Act (MSA). It allows determination of scope of military service, draft list and medical examination. So the same person can have three different ages.

As I said, what seems to be complicated also causes legal problems. For example, providing an incorrect age when applying for welfare or medical treatment creates unnecessary social and economic costs. Non-compliance with the international standard is also an issue in translation from or to Korean, requiring additional verification and modification of age information.

All that is about to change now, with President Seok-Yeol Yoon fulfilling one of his election promises. The application of the international age is now a civil and administrative principle. However, there are still laws based on the calendar year.