Korean Age = International Age – 1
On December 15th, 2022, South Korea passed a law that would adopt the international standard of age counting. South Korean used to have a traditional age system that when everyone is born at the age of 1 and will grow older every New Year. This precious age system has caused a huge amount of confusion among foreigners who visited South Korea. On official documents, this age-counting system will no longer be applied to South Korean citizens. Therefore, this adjustment will make all South Korean passport holders one or two years younger.
The Unique Age Culture in South Korea
How Does Age Work in South Korea
The moment a child is born, he/she turns one
People gain one year the day after New Year
If a newborn is born of December 30th, he/she will turn TWO on January 1st!
If you want to know your Korean age, simply add one to your current age!
The Significance of Age Culture in South Korea
There are two styles of Korean Speaking :
Formal, used when speaking to an elder in the family, people that are older than you (even just a few days older), a stranger or person who you just met
Informal, used when speaking to people that are younger, a close friend
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