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WorldA year at birth: South Koreans to get a year or two...

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A year at birth: South Koreans to get a year or two younger as traditional age system is abolished

The current Korean age system in South Korea states that a person is one at birth and gains a year on January 1 of every year. Additionally, there is a different approach for determining conscription eligibility or the legal smoking and drinking age.

Many South Koreans will soon become a year or two younger as a result of laws that have been passed to replace the country’s outdated age-counting practises with the global norm.

The current Korean age system in South Korea states that a person is one at birth and gains a year on January 1 of every year. Therefore, a child born on December 31 would be considered two the following 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.”

“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?”
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