Being younger is possible in South Korea. This Wednesday all South Koreans lose a year, or even two, thanks to the abandonment of the ancient system of computing age in force in the country.
Until now, a newborn was automatically one year old at birth and aged one year every January 1, and not on their birthday as dictated by the international system. Thus, under the Korean age, a child born on December 31 was automatically 2 years old the next day.
A system already abandoned in the rest of Asia
South Korea also used the international calculation method, but only for official documents, pension benefits, or even criminal justice. Another source of confusion: For the right to drink alcohol or smoke, Seoul calculated the age of its nationals in a third way. The country was counting from zero this time at birth, but keeping the “anniversary” date of January 1.
South Korea was the latest East Asian country to count in recent months. in the womb determine the age of their nationals. China, Japan, and even neighboring North Korea abandoned this system decades ago.
The origin of this calculation system remains a mystery. Some evoke a Buddhist influence, pushing to take pregnancy into account to determine the age of a newborn. Others highlight the absence of zero in the old Chinese numbering.
Age, an important social marker in South Korea
Lee Wan-kyu, the minister in charge of government reform, started a press conference on Monday, explaining to Korean journalists how to calculate his age from now on.
Il faut “soustraire votre année de naissance à l’année en cours. Si votre anniversaire est pasé, vous obtenez votre âge, et si votre anniversaire n’est pas passedé, alors envez un pour obtener votre âge”, to explicé le ministre à Press.
Although South Koreans will still be able to use their “old age” in their daily lives, the reform should ultimately have a strong impact in a society where age is an important social marker.
The standardization of the calculation method should also put an end to many disputes. During auto accidents, disputes over compensation for victims could arise, with insurance contracts tied to the age of the driver, without specifying a precise type of count. During the Covid-19 pandemic, similar disputes arose at vaccination centers over who was actually eligible for vaccination.
Source: BFM TV
