법제처 로고

On June 28, 2023, all Koreans become younger

It is said that foreigners get into difficulty when answering the question of “how old are you?” in Korea. It’s because other countries use the international method of counting ages, using a persons’ birth date. However, Koreans are deemed to be a year old when they are born. Since the method is used only in Korea, it is called “Korean age” or “K-age.” That’s why when the National Assembly passed a set of bills unifying the age-counting system at the end of last year, many foreign news outlets as well as Korean news media paid attention to the change that will knock one or two years off people’s ages.

The laws unifying the age-counting system are partial amendments to the General Act on Public Administration and Civil Act, which clarify the use of the international age across all judicial and administrative areas. The laws will take effect on June 28, 2023. Some people are worried that due to the sudden change of age definition, such as school age and retirement age, they would be at a disadvantage. However, there is no change in defining legal age, including school and retirement age. The change will be seen in our everyday life. Due to the mixed use of age calculations, legal and social disputes as well as confusion have persisted in Korea.

The revision aims to foster a culture of using the international age in more informal circumstances. There are three ways to count one’s age in Korea. In principle, Korea has used the “international age” in most legal definitions. When there are specific regulations, Koreans also use the “calendar age,” which adds a year to their age every January 1. In daily life, however, Koreans abide by the “Korean age,” where a person is 1 year old as soon as they are born, and gain one year on every New Year’s Day. As a result, civil complaints and legal disputes have been sparked when defining the age for administrative and welfare services or interpreting the age for insurance and labor contracts. After the laws go into effect and the way age is counted is standardized, the confusion can end and unnecessary social and economic costs can be reduced.

It could take time for the international age-counting method to seep into daily life, because the Korean age counting system is deeply ingrained in Korean culture. At the beginning, there may be some confusion after the laws take effect. In order to minimize it, the Ministry of Government Legislation (MOLEG) has strived to encourage citizens to use their “international age” and conduct necessary promotion for that in cooperation with the central government and local governments since the beginning of this year. We produce and distribute educational materials tailored to the detailed needs of students, local residents, and public officials on the front line, and provide education and training on handling civil complaints and answering inquiries about the laws unifying the age-counting system without difficulties.

In addition, as a follow-up measure to the revision, the “calendar age” under the current law will be replaced by the “international age.” The “calendar age,” which is used in some laws, is calculated by simply subtracting the year of birth from the current year. People who are born in the same year have the same “calendar age,” regardless of actual birthdays. MOLEG plans to modify the laws that use the “calendar age” in defining legal age, unless absolutely necessary for the people’s convenience, by carrying out a research project and collecting public opinions.

For example, if the legal age to apply for various civil service examinations is set by the “international age,” even those who are born in the same year and graduated from university in the same year may not be able to take the exams depending on when the date is set for the examinations. In this case, it is advantageous for the people to use the “calendar age.” On the other hand, since it is necessary to ensure that everyone is equally protected when the period of special protection for minors in relation to criminal offenses and punishments is determined, it would be beneficial to use the “international age.”

When we become accustomed to using the “international age” in everyday life, I expect positive changes to occur in our consciousness and culture regarding age. Korea’s unique hierarchical culture in which an age gap of one or two years is strictly considered can be broken down. And the culture that values the group over the individual can disappear. MOLEG will endeavor to spread a horizontal and flexible culture in our society as well as handle social conflicts and costs by settling down the international age counting system.