South Koreans now a year younger as traditional age system dropped

Asian country previously included time spent in the womb

Kim Min, a South Korean citizen living in Australia, is a year younger under the new age rule. AFP

South Koreans have become one or two years younger under a new law that aligns the country's age-counting system with international standards.

The law moves the country away from a centuries-old system that made South Koreans a year old at birth, counting time in the womb.

Under that system, everyone becomes a year older with the turn of the year, rather than on their birthday, meaning a baby born on December 31 would be considered two years old on January 1.

From Wednesday, South Korea will use the international system that calculates age according to a person's date of birth, meaning everyone will officially become a year or two younger.

"I'm very happy about the change, but I'm also worried," university student Chae Yeon told The National from Buchon, a city near the capital, Seoul.

"The age hierarchy in Korea is very strict, and it can even come down to a few months. Korea has very clear ways of addressing older people and it's hard to change once you're used to it.

"I am 23 in Korean age, or 21 internationally, and my friend was born a few months earlier. In Korean-style we are friends, but now I might have to address her differently. It's very complicated.

"But I am happy because I now feel younger."

"It feels good," Lee Jung-hee, a homemaker in Seoul, told AFP.

"For people like me, who were supposed to turn 60 next year, it makes you feel like you're still young."

China, Japan, and North Korea dropped the system decades ago, but it has endured in the South, even as the country played a larger role on the international stage.

"It's confusing when a foreigner asks me how old I am because I know they mean international age, so I have to do some calculations," office worker Hong Suk-min told the agency.

Mr Hong said, after a pause, that he was 45 in international age and 47 under the old South Korean system.

Hong Suk-min, an office worker, shows how his age differed under the previous South Korean system. AFP

Korea's varying age-counting systems can confuse even people who are born and raised in the country.

Koreans have reported difficulties with discrepancies when applying for visas and mothers have even been left unsure how many candles to put on their child's birthday cake.

Before the change, one social media user wrote: "My grandma celebrated her 100th birthday two months ago, and now we will have to celebrate again next year."

It also caused problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, when social distancing and vaccination guidelines were issued according to international age, not used in daily Korean life.

The new law will bring about changes in many legal and administrative functions, including the age listed on a passport, the age at which a person can be prosecuted as a juvenile, retirement benefits and healthcare services.

The government hopes the move will ease confusion over issues including eligibility for pensions and free travel benefits.

"There is a difference between the age Koreans use in their daily lives and their legal age and because of that, various legal disputes may arise," Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu told AFP.

Mr Lee, who is overseeing the official age change, began a media briefing on Monday by attempting to teach the assembled South Korean journalists how to determine their ages.

"Subtract your birth year from the current year. If your birthday has passed, that's how old you are, and if your birthday has not passed, subtract one to get your age," he said.

Some areas, including the school year and eligibility for mandatory military service, are determined by another age system, known as "year age", which will remain in place for now, he added.

Age matters

The idea behind "year age" is to ease South Korea's linguistic-linked hierarchies by ensuring everyone in one school year is considered the same age and so can speak to each other without using honorifics.

Age affects a person's relative social status and dictates which titles and honorifics must be used to address others.

"It's hard to communicate with people without knowing their age," anthropologist Mo Hyun-joo told AFP.

People typically use terms such as "unni" and "oppa", meaning older sister and older brother, respectively, rather than names in conversation, she said.

Ms Chae told The National most Koreans disclose their ages when first meeting people to avoid confusion.

"Koreans like to look young, but I also like being treated and respected like an adult. That's why using honorifics is very important in Korea. I'm curious to see what will happen."