South Koreans become 1 to 2 years younger with new law — Here's what to know (2024)

Millions of South Koreans have instantly become younger by one to two years of age -- at least in the government's eyes.

Koreans traditionally have followed three different systems of counting age: "international age," "Korean age" and "calendar age."

"International age" is regularly accepted across the globe and refers to a person's date of birth, starting at zero when born. Under the "Korean age," a person is labeled one year old at birth. With "calendar age," a person would add a year to his or her age every January 1.

For example, an infant born on December 31 would be considered two years old on the next day, January 1. Some Koreans have adopted a mix between the "Korean age" and "calendar age," which has caused social confusion and disputes.

The new South Korean law that went into effect on June 28 has scrapped two out of three aging-counting methods. Only the "international age" will be used administratively to avoid any back-and-forth debates.

The change seemed to be accepted by most Koreans with over 86% agreeing to eliminate any confusion by sticking to the international system, according to a poll by the Ministry of Government Legislation.

Mickey Hyun is the senior manager of external relations at the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea. The KCCNY promotes Korean arts and culture through concerts, educational programs and art exhibitions.

In an interview with NBC New York, Hyun explains that for legal and administrative purposes, not to expect drastic change since Koreans have been using the "international age" for most documentation.

"However, even with the new standardization, certain things like the year that you enter school, military service, as well as age-restricted products like alcohol and tobacco, that's still going to be based on the 'calendar age' system," Hyun told News 4.

Instead, Hyun believes the impact will be more on a personal level on how the Korean community will engage in relationships moving forward.

"Culturally and socially, Korea has traditionally been a very age-focused, hierarchy-focused society. That means a lot of social relationships and how we think about each other, relative to one another, is based on age," said Hyun, who continued to note a shift in person-to-person connection.

The current exhibit at the KCCNY is called "A New Family: Curating Korean Diaspora," guest curated by Jae-won Choi and includes artist Yoo-ah Park.The installation focuses on Korean migrants who were displaced from their native homes and transformed through their journeys.

In one of Park's works titled "Ubermensch," a combination of portraits explores the identity and familial issues of each featured Korean immigrant, including "year of birth," "year of adoption," and "country of adoption."