South Korean citizens became “younger” last Wednesday following the enactment of a new law that reformed the country’s method of counting age.
The South Korean government passed legislation in December 2022 to do away with its traditional method of measuring the age of its citizens. Under the previous system, an infant is deemed one year old at birth, and one year is added every January 1. Hypothetically — and in reality for some — a person could be born on New Year’s Eve and turn two the following day.
The new law now requires the use of the more internationally-recognized method for measuring age, which adds years based on the time that has passed after one’s date of birth, according to Reuters.
Following the enactment of the new law on June 28, South Korean citizens became one to two years “younger,” depending on their birthday. The international method of age-keeping has been used in the country since the 1960s for citing age on medical forms and legal documents. In contrast, the traditional method was used in everyday life.
A poll by the Ministry of Government revealed that 80% of South Korean citizens favored adopting the international system. Officials said they believe the move to the international method will provide a measure of simplicity as it takes effect.
“We expect legal disputes, complaints, and social confusion that have been caused over how to calculate ages will be greatly reduced,” said Lee Wan-kyu, minister of government legislation, Reuters reported.
Some South Koreans have expressed satisfaction with being “younger,” while others do not appear as pleased. Lee Jin-soo, previously a 15-year-old who has now been rolled back to age 13, told The Wall Street Journal that his older peers have already asked him to refer to them as “hyung,” an honorific title meaning older brother.
“I’m upset that I have to wait until my birthday in October to become the same age as them,” said Lee, according to WSJ.
Other citizens, such as Park Jeong-yeon, now 28 years old, are happy to turn back the clock.
“There was always a sense of urgency with my parents telling me I was becoming too old to act like a child,” said Park, speaking with WSJ. “Well, now they’ll have to accept I have two more years in my 20s.”
However, there are some exceptions to the new law on age-keeping. The traditional age-counting method will still determine when children start school, when young men must register for military duty, and when individuals can legally consume alcohol.
