South Koreans got a year or two younger on Wednesday when new laws took effect requiring only the international age calculation method to be used, replacing the country’s traditional method.
According to the age system most commonly used in daily life by South Koreans, people are considered to be a year old at birth and a year is added every January 1st. Since the early 1960s, the country has used the international standard of counting from zero. birth and adding a year to each birthday for medical and legal documents. But many South Koreans continued to use the traditional method for everything else.
In December, South Korea passed laws to abolish the traditional method and fully adopt the international standard.
“We expect the legal disputes, complaints and social confusion that have been caused by how to calculate age will be greatly reduced,” Minister for Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu said at a briefing on Monday.
According to a government survey conducted in September 2022, 86% of South Koreans said they would use international age in their daily lives when the new laws take effect.
“I will be 30 next year (according to the traditional Korean age system), but now I still have some time left and I’m loving it,” said Choi Hyun-ji, a 27-year-old office worker in Seoul. “It’s just great to feel younger,” added Choi.
In South Korea, there is a different age system for conscription, school entry, and the calculation of the legal drinking and smoking age: a person’s age is calculated from zero at birth and a year is added to January 1. Officials said this method will remain in place being time.
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