South Korea implements new age-counting law making all citizens at least one year younger

South Koreans will become at least a year younger from tomorrow, at least on paper, as the country will finally join international age standards. The country traditionally counted newborns as one year old. The government decided to implement the international standards as a fulfillment of the election campaign of President Yook Suk Yeol to reduce confusion by implementing the same system used by the whole world.

The parliament voted to remove the ‘Korean age’ system in December 2022, in this system the time spent in the womb is also counted, the person is considered one year old at birth and then increases a year on the first day of every new year. This system was vastly used in workplaces and social settings. There is also a separate system known as the “counting age” system in which a person’s age is calculated from zero at birth and a year is added on 1st January. This method is mainly used to calculate the legal drinking and smoking age in the country.

But South Korea also uses the international system in which the age is calculated by the birth date and the first birthday is celebrated after 365 days of birth. So accordingly, if a person who is born on 31st December 2022, will be 19 under the international system on 8th December 2022, but 20 under the “counting system”, and 21 under the “Korean system.”

The people will not need to update any ID or document as the age in government forms is based on international systems. Military age and school admissions are based on calendar age according to the birth year. Stores also use calendar age to ensure people consuming alcohol and cigarettes are over 19 years old.

According to a survey in 2022, three-quarters of South Korean people wanted this change as it caused much confusion.