At least a year younger on paper: South Korea makes changes to age-counting law

Millions of South Koreans woke up at least a year younger on Wednesday.

On paper, anyway.

That's because the East Asian country formally abandoned some traditional methods for determining a person's age and replaced them with the international standard: zero at birth and a year added after every birthday.

Under the old system, many South Koreans were considered a year old at birth − effectively counting time in the womb. A year of age was then added every Jan. 1, instead of on their birthday, meaning a baby born on New Year's Eve could be considered to be 2 years-old the very next day.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol made a campaign pledge last year to scrap the nation’s unique system for calculating age because he said that not only was it confusing, but it was also a drain on resources and the economy. It has led to legal disputes over insurance claims and eligibility for government social welfare programs.

South Korea counts the years: What's a year or two?

South Korean lawmakers first approved the changes in December.

The government retained a separate traditional system for determining a person's age that considers a person zero at birth with a year's age added every Jan. 1. This method, known as the "year age," has been used to determine when someone should start school or attend compulsory military service.

A survey from last year found overwhelming support for aligning with the international standard.

The Yonhap news agency said the new system took effect Wednesday without much disruption, though it noted it would probably take time for the "age-sensitive fields of social life and personal relations" to adapt.

"Age is the most important thing when going on a blind date," the news agency quoted an office worker in South Korea's capital Seoul as saying. "When a man and a woman meet and tell each other their age, they may have to make clear whether their age is Korean or international age."

The changes do not affect when South Koreans can buy alcohol or cigarettes, which is the year, not the day, they turn 19. South Korea has been using the international standard for medical and legal records since the 1960s, according to the Korea Times, an English-language daily newspaper. But many South Koreans have continued to use the older methods, which can be traced to Confucianism behaviors and beliefs, for everything else.