The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea

  • 3

    Court rejects arrest warrant for opposition leader Lee over corruption charges

  • 5

    Royal palaces in Seoul offer free access during Chuseok holiday

  • 7

    N. Korea decides to expel US soldier Travis King over border crossing

  • 9

    Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District

  • 11

    Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games

  • 13

    Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth

  • 15

    Teen swimmer Lee Eun-ji shrugs off freak injury to end quarter-century drought in pool

  • 17

    Travis King in US custody after expulsion by N. Korea: Washington officials

  • 19

    Samsung SDI to spend $1.97 bil. on 2nd joint US battery plant with Stellantis

  • 2

    Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday

  • 4

    INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting

  • 6

    Korea sees record-low births in July

  • 8

    Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant

  • 10

    DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November

  • 12

    Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war

  • 14

    Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers

  • 16

    DPK hails court's rejection of Lee's arrest, demands Yoon's apology

  • 18

    Top prosecutor vows to seek due punishment for Lee through further probe

  • 20

    Finance minister expects Korea's exports to rebound as early as October

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Fri, September 29, 2023 | 08:36
Society
How South Korea's complex age custom has endured
Posted : 2022-04-14 09:21
Updated : 2022-04-14 15:56
Lee Hyo-jin
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
gettyimagesbank
gettyimagesbank

Presidential transition committee plans to scrap Korean age

By Lee Hyo-jin

"How old are you?" Answering this simple question often becomes a challenge for foreign nationals living in Korea who are not yet familiar with the country's unique system of counting one's age.

In fact, when Koreans are asked their age by foreign nationals, they tend to give several answers, followed by an explanation about the different ways of counting age.

Korea has three ways of counting an individual's age: the Korean traditional "counting age" system, the internationally recognized system and a third system used for convenience when one's exact birthdate is unknown.

Unlike the international norm that starts with the age of zero at birth and then adds a year on birthdays, under the Korean system, a newborn baby's age is counted starting from one rather than zero, and everyone gets a year older all together on New Year's Day. So on Jan. 1, hospital maternity wards are filled with two-year-old babies born yesterday.

This traditional system is used widely in daily life, while the international system, which was introduced in the country in 1962, is used in official records and the civil code.

In addition, there is a third system in which newborns start out at age zero, but everybody's age advances on New Year's Day, regardless of their actual date of birth. This method is used for military conscription and for defining the age of juveniles under the Youth Protection Act.

Korean age

The origin of the Korean age system remains unclear even among researchers, according to Jang Yoo-seung, a professor at Dankook University's Academy of Asian Studies.

"One theory is that one year is counted on the day of birth taking into account the 10 months spent in the mother's womb, which is then rounded up to one year. Some link it to the absence of the concept of zero in the ancient Asian numerical system," Jang told The Korea Times.

He pointed out that in the past, Korea was not the only country using this system, as it was shared among neighboring countries including China, Japan and Vietnam.

Nonetheless, the custom was abolished in China during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, while the Japanese government adopted the international age system in the early 20th century and later banned the use of the traditional system in the 1950s. North Korea standardized the international norm in the 1980s.

Confusing 'Korean age' system dies hard
Confusing 'Korean age' system dies hard
2019-01-02 15:39

As to why South Korea is the only country with the tradition in widespread, active use, Jang said, "There were attempts to replace the traditional method with the international system during the Japanese colonial period, but it was met with strong protests from Koreans, just as they were against the use of the Gregorian calendar ― a reason why some traditional holidays are based on the lunar calendar to this date."

Nevertheless, the mixed use of the various systems in counting legal and social age has led to confusion and occasional disputes in Korean society.

During the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the government restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on people under age 30, citing potential risks of side effects, but it did not clarify initially which age system it was basing this age limit on.

In addition, the implementation of the vaccine pass, in which people should show proof of vaccination to enter a multiuse facility, was extended to children between 12 and 17, prompting confusion among parents whose children were between 10 and 12 years old.

In the business sector, legal disputes have arisen between labor and management regarding the retirement age ― in terms of whether it should it be based on Korean or international age ― with the issue even being taken to the Supreme Court in March of this year.

Will Yoon administration abolish Korean age?

gettyimagesbank
Lee Yong-ho, chief of the presidential transition team's political, judicial and administrative subcommittee, announces plans to abolish the Korean age system, during a press briefing held at the committee's office in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps

These debates are why the transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol seeks to scrap the Korean counting age system and standardize the international age system by amending the civil code and laws related to social services.

"Due to the different calculations of legal and social age, we have experienced unnecessary social and economic costs from persistent confusion and disputes when receiving social and welfare services and interpreting various contracts," Lee Yong-ho, chief of the transition team's political, judicial and administrative subcommittee, said during a briefing, Monday.

While this plan has gained substantial support among people who have been calling for a simplified age system, some argue that overturning the centuries-old custom may cause even more confusion.

In a survey conducted among 1,000 adults by Hankook Research last December, seven out of 10 respondents endorsed the change, citing confusion in legislative and administrative procedures.

"The amendment is likely to proceed smoothly as many people have been supporting the global standard to be used as the norm," said Yoon Seong-cheol, a professor of sociology at Hanshin University. "But in order to minimize confusion, the two systems would have to coexist for some period of time."

On the other hand, Jang viewed it premature to legal ban the use of the centuries-old, Korean counting age custom.

"I agree that the government should implement a unified age system for administrative and legal procedures, but it seems premature to restrict the use of the traditional system in all parts of society, as that would affect many parts of daily life," he said.

"The transition committee should engage in further discussions, as not everyone will welcome the changes."

Jang also refuted claims that the use of the traditional age system generated the rigid hierarchical structure of Korean society. "The traditional system of counting one's age has little to do with hierarchy. Rather, age was not considered a barrier to friendships in the past," he said.



Emaillhj@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Guide to Chuseok celebrations across KoreaGuide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea
2Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday
3Korea sees record-low births in July Korea sees record-low births in July
4Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant
5Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District
6DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November
7Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games
8Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war
9Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth
10Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting
2Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
3[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince' INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'
4Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love
5K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group