A reform is the reason that could explain the accounting rejuvenation of South Korean citizens in the months to come. In the country, there are two systems for calculating one’s age. Details.
You are 18 in France, you could be 19 in South Korea. Indeed, in the country, citizens often evoke a very particular age when they are questioned. But a reform desired by the new president Yoon Suk-yeol could change everything. The latter aims to remove the Korean age, to replace it with the international age, the one we know in France, explains the daily West France who reports the news.
How is age calculated in Korea?
As the specialized site explains KajaKorea, in South Korea, when a child born, he is 1 year old. The nine months spent in the mother’s womb count as a full year. But that’s not all. “No matter your birthday, it’s January 1 that you win a year,” details the site. The birthday is celebrated on the day of birth, but the year is added to January 1.
“You don’t need to know someone’s exact birthday to know their age”, you just need to know “their year of birth”, explains KajaCorée. Thus, to calculate the Korean age, a simple mathematical formula exists: “Korean age = Current year – Year of birth + 1”.
The end of the Korean age on May 10?
But this mode of calculation could well come to an end. This is in any case the intention of the president elected in 2022 Yoon Suk-yeol. He wants to change the law to keep only the international age, the one we know, in official documents. This reform could come into effect on May 10, 2022, reports West France.
This change would aim to simplify “administrative complexities” and exchanges with foreigners. South Korea is the latest country to use such a calculation system. A real rejuvenation.
