In Asia a new saying can already be consolidated that, If there is someone who knows how to take years off at once, those are the South Koreans. As of this Wednesday, there are almost 52 million people in South Korea who are younger today than yesterday. And that a year ago. Some can even subtract up to two years from their age.
This is what happens when a country reformulates its age counting system to meet international standards. Asian democracy breaks with its particular and confusing traditional measurement that brought the administration upside down.
According to the traditional “Korean age” system, which count the time one spends in the womb, all Koreans are considered to be 1 year old at the time of their birth, and their age increases by one more year each New Year of their lunar calendar, regardless of when their actual birthday falls.
Both in government forms, such as registration to vote, school admission or retirement, the international system is used. But to calculate, for example, when a young man should be conscripted for military service, another traditional system (“age of count”) which calculates the age from zero at birth and adds one year on January 1. This method is the usual one to also calculate the legal age for drinking alcohol and smoking.
In other words, in South Korea, until now, a citizen could be up to three different ages at the same time. Let’s give an example: this June 28, 2023, a person born in December 2003 would be 19 years old according to the international system, 20 according to the calendar system and 21 according to the Korean system.