South Koreans to Become Younger as It Outlaw the Traditional Way of Counting Age

BY: News Peddlers 

Creator: KIM HONG-JI | Credit: REUTERS

South Korea passed legislation on Thursday to abandon its traditional method of calculating ages in favour of the international standard, effectively making its citizens one or two years younger on official documents.

Koreans are considered a year old when they are born, and a year is added every January. This is the most common age mentioned in everyday conversation.

There is also a separate system for conscription purposes or calculating the legal drinking and smoking age, in which a person's age is calculated from zero at birth and a year is added on January 1.

However, since the early 1960s, South Korea has also used the international standard of calculating from zero at birth and adding a year on each birthday for medical and legal documents.

When new laws requiring only the international method of counting ages go into effect in June 2023, the confusing array of systems will vanish – at least on official documents.

"The revision aims to reduce unnecessary socioeconomic costs because legal and social disputes, as well as confusion, persist due to different methods of calculating age," Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party told parliament.

Jeong Da-eun, a 29-year-old office worker, is pleased with the change because she has always had to think twice about her age when asked abroad.

"I remember foreigners looking at me puzzled because it took me so long to figure out how old I was."

"Who wouldn't want to be a year or two younger?" She continued.

Reuters