South Korea has passed laws to scrap its traditional methods of counting age and adopt the international standard instead – which means many South Koreans are about to get a year or two younger.
At present, South Koreans have a Korean age, in which a person is one at birth and then gains a year on the first day of each new year. So a child born on 31 December would be considered two years old the next day.
A separate method also exists for conscription purposes or calculating the legal age to drink alcohol and smoke. Under this system, a person’s age is calculated from zero at birth and a year is added on 1 January.
However, South Korea also uses the international method of calculating age by starting at zero at birth and adding a year on every birthday.
To end any confusion, from 23 June, the country will officially adopt the international system – at least on official documents.
The move aims to standardise how age is calculated in the country.
Yoo Sang-bum, of the ruling People Power Party, told parliament: “The revision is aimed at reducing unnecessary socio-economic costs, because legal and social disputes as well as confusion persist due to the different ways of calculating age.”
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Jeong Da-eun, a 29-year-old office worker, is happy about the change.
She said she has always had to think twice when asked abroad about her age.
“I remember foreigners looking at me with puzzlement because it took me so long to come back with an answer on how old I was.”
She added: “Who wouldn’t welcome getting a year or two younger?”
