More than 50 million people in South Korea woke up today and felt a year or two younger – at least, according to the law.
Under legislation that took effect on Wednesday, “all judicial and administrative areas” across the East Asian country will adopt the “international era” system used by most of the world, ending years of debate over the problems caused by the previously common use of “Korean age” and “calendar age”.
The standardization of ages “will reduce various confusions and social disputes,” said Lee Wan-kyu, Minister of Government Legislation, at a press conference last Monday.
The law, passed by South Korea’s parliament last December, is also expected to “greatly reduce unnecessary social costs due to the mixed use of age standards,” Lee said, adding that this was an important pledge by President Yoon Suk-yeol. , who took office last May.
three systems
In South Korea, “international age” refers to the number of years since a person was born and starts at zero – the same system used in most other countries.
But when asked about their age in informal settings, most South Koreans will respond with their “Korean age”, which can be one or even two years older than their international age.
Under this system, which has its roots in China, babies are considered to be one year old on the day they are born, with one year added every January 1st.
In some circumstances, South Koreans also use their “calendar age” – a mixture of international age and Korean age – which considers babies as zero years old on the day they are born and adds one year to their age every January 1st. .
Take “Gangnam Style” singer Psy, for example. Born on December 31, 1977, he is considered 45 years old by international age; 46 years by “calendar age”; and 47 for Korean age.
If this sounds confusing, it’s because everyday life in the country frequently alternates between a mix of different systems.
new standard
Even with the new standardization, the old systems will still be used in some circumstances, the government said on Wednesday.
For example, children normally start primary school in March of the year following their 6th birthday (international age), regardless of which month their birthday falls – which it will.
Laws on age-restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco will also be based on the person’s year of birth, regardless of the month. This means that two people born in January and December 1990 are considered the same age.
According to this law, people can buy alcohol from the year they turn 19 (in the international age).
The same method will continue to be used for South Korea’s mandatory military service – meaning people are eligible based on the year they were born rather than their specific age or date of birth.
“The government has decided to contain these exceptions even after the revisions come into force, as it is easier to manage these issues on an annual basis,” Minister Lee said on Wednesday.
It is likely that many residents will continue to use the traditional Korean age system in everyday life and social settings, as is common.
But others can accept the change; in a survey by the Ministry of Government Legislation, 86.2% of respondents said they would use the international age system. And it marks a victory for lawmakers who have spent years campaigning to standardize the international era, fed up with multiple systems.
Source: CNN Brasil
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