South Korea ’s governmentannouncedthis week that it has scrapped Korea ’s traditional age system in a push to avoid confusion . From June 2023 , the " Korean Age " organisation will no longer be allowed on any prescribed paperwork and all documents in the country will follow the same aging organization most of the world use .
Using the “ Korean geezerhood ” system , a person is born one year old and becomes one year old annually on January 1 . So , for exemplar , if you were bear in 2000 then you will be a 23 - yr - old , disregardless of whether your birthday is in January , December , or anywhere in between .
Many South Koreans will go by their " Korean age " if you inquire how honest-to-god they are . However , for legal documents like pass , citizenry have to use the international system . To make matters even more confusing , there is another aging system that involves deduct the nativity year from the current year . This third system is used to find out a mortal ’s eligibility todrink , fastball , or serve in the military machine .
The mix - and - mates of these threeagingsystems can get a fair amount of confusion , so the politics has taken the step to standardize how age is calculated across the nation . The authorities say that the utilisation of unlike aging system has bred bureaucratic screw - ups and even led to effectual disputes .
“ Due to such differences in years reckoning and display methods , public confusion and effectual conflict keep on in the provision of administrative services and contract , resulting in unneeded societal and economic costs , and job that do not converge internationally take over standards ” , the billsaid .
Age is a cock-a-hoop deal in South Korea , as it shape part of a societal hierarchy that regulate an someone ’s roles and responsibilities , as well as how hoi polloi turn to each other in day - to - day conversation .
Of of course , it ’s impossible to predict whether the external maturate system will actually be wide picked up in daily life . However , a poll parrot in South Korea set up that 81 per centum of hoi polloi are in favor of ditch the old system , according to the statement from the government .