South Korea has replaced its traditional method of counting age with the international standard, making citizens a year or two younger as a result.
Under legislation that came into effect on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, “all judicial and administrative areas” across the East Asian country will adopt the “international age” system used by most of the world.
This brings an end to years of debate about the problems caused by the formerly common use of the traditional “Korean age” and “calendar age.”
Under the “Korean age”, the age system most commonly used in South Koreans’ everyday life, people are deemed to be a year old at birth and a year is added on January 1 of every year, rather than on their actual birthday.
“We expect legal disputes, complaints and social confusion that have been caused over how to calculate ages will be greatly reduced,” Minister of Government Legislation, Lee Wan-kyu disclosed at a briefing.
Meanwhile, some crucial areas, such as the school year, eligibility for compulsory military service, and the legal drinking age, are determined by a separate age system known as “calendar age” or “year age.” Lee stated that this system will remain in place for now.
The “calendar age” or “year age” is a mash-up of international age and Korean age. It considers babies as zero years old on the day they are born and adds a year to their age on January 1 of every year.
This means that, for example, everyone born in 2004, whether January or December, is eligible to begin the military enlistment process from January 1, 2023, because they are all legally considered to have met the minimum required age of 19.
Before the enactment, South Koreans were a year or two older than their age per the international standard. For instance, as of June 28, 2023, a person born on June 29, 2003 is 19 under the international system, 20 under the “calendar age” system and 21 under the “Korean age” system.
Meanwhile, as of the same June 28, 2023, a person born on December 31, 1977, is considered 45 by international age; 46 by calendar age; and 47 by Korean age.
The government said that it hopes the change will ease confusion, citing the issue of older Koreans who may believe they are eligible for pensions and free travel benefits several years before they legally are.
Current Changes To Determine Whether Government Will Amend “Year Age” System
Also, Lee stated that the government might consider revising the use of “year age” for such areas depending on how the current changes go.
South Korea passed laws to remove the traditional method and fully adopt the international standard last December.
South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol pushed strongly for the change when he ran for office last year. The traditional age-counting methods created “unnecessary social and economic costs”, he said.
According to a government survey conducted in September 2022, 86 percent of South Koreans said that they would use the international age in their everyday life when the new laws take effect.
The new changes mark a victory for lawmakers who have spent years campaigning to standardize international age, fed up with the multiple systems.
The practice of counting age to include the time spent in a mother’s womb was once traditional in other parts of East Asia but most have dropped it.
Japan adopted the international standard in 1950 while North Korea followed suit in the 1980s.
