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South Korea has a new way of calculating the age of residents since Wednesday. As a result, every South Korean is suddenly one or two years younger.
South Korea previously used several methods to calculate the age of residents. One was the method used internationally, but the other children were already one year old at birth. This age therefore did not increase on the first day of their birth, but on the first day of the new year.
Children born on the last day of the year could therefore celebrate their second birthday after midnight according to the Korean age system. President Yoon Suk-yeol promised during his election campaign to abolish this system.
Yoon found the age system unnecessarily expensive and unclear. In December it had already been announced that the age system would be revised and it has been a fact since Wednesday. It didn’t lead to great chaos in the government, but it took some getting used to, reports the South Korean News Agency. Yonhap.
Confusion in schools, dating agencies and travel agencies
For example, there was some confusion between the schools. “Young students are often proud of their age. Some have cried because they are suddenly two years younger,” a primary school teacher tells Yonhap.
Dating companies and travel agencies are also reluctant, according to the news agency, because rates can depend on the age of customers. For example, there is a company that organizes trips and allows children under the age of six to go for free. This company announced that it would continue to use Korean age for the remainder of the year.
The South Korean government has been working with the international age system for some time. This also applies, for example, to compulsory military service and the age at which alcohol can be consumed.
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