Koreans React To Potentially (And Legally) Getting 2 Years Younger | Street Interview

Did you know that Korea has an entirely different age system from the rest of the world? Chances are, whenever you see Korean people’s ages mentioned in Western media, it’s wrong because they translate the age literally and don’t take into account the Korean age system.
Well, that’s about to change because the new incoming president of South Korea has proposed to abolish the Korean age system. So are you curious as to how the system works and how Koreans feel about this potential change? We hit the streets of Seoul to find out!
The opinions expressed in this video are those of individual interviewees alone and do not reflect the views of ASIAN BOSS or the general Korean population.
0:00 - Intro
0:51 - Reaction to the news
3:14 - Difference between Korean age and international age
5:57 - Experiences overseas regarding the Korean age
7:57 - Do you support abolishing the Korean age system?
10:51 - Social side effects if the Korean age changes to the international system
12:22 - Lunar and solar birthdays
13:12 - What do you want to try or experience if your age were to get a year or two younger?
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[@vvvbill]

I was born in mid December in Korea so I was literally "two years old" when I was only 2 weeks old by the new year. In all honesty, I highly doubt this abolishment will have any impact in social settings. Everyone I've met in Korea have asked me what YEAR i was born in, not how old I am. Laws might change easily, but people don't.

[@grainovsand3229]

Great point, I remember living in Korea and having many discussions about the age classification differences between Korea and the rest of the world, but ultimately, most Koreans would ask year of birth rather than age. That seems like an easy way to bypass the whole issue, that I didn't fully acknowledge til' reading your comment.

[@nela3986]

Doesn't china and other asian countries also have a sistem where you are officially older then your birthday? I remember having a pen pal from Macau and she said something similar...

[@justgado2772]

@@nela3986 yes I think they are talking about the age in Korea probably written in all legal documents but in China, they still use the international counting on legal paper. The counting of that age was just for inner family, counting good day for marriage, seeking partner and such.

[@vvvbill]

@@grainovsand3229woah didn't expect so much likes. But yes, most koreans would ask year of birth because they're accustomed to it. Age is not a sensitive subject in Korea (at least upto 29 because that's how old I am) so many people just haven't put that much thought into it.

[@vvvbill]

@@nela3986 I believe japanese people also count age the same method Korean people count their age. I'm not sure about other Asian countries...🤔

[@payat5067]

If the standard age system will be used in schools, it's a yes for me. As a teacher, the Korean age system applied in education significantly affects a student's performance. Basic alphabet writing is taught for our 5-year-old classes, but most of our students couldn't hold the pencil properly. It isn't because they don't know how to. Rather it's because they are not development-wise ready for it. Korean age they are 5 but in reality they are only 3 years old (born in the last quarter of 2018).

[@jamielondon6436]

That's madness! :-o

[@payat5067]

@@jamielondon6436 i think this is one of the factors why studying in Korea puts a lot of pressure to students even at a young age. I work in a private school where the curriculum & lesson plans are already prepared. It is our job to deliver, to make sure our lessons follow as planned. As much as I want to slow down things, I can't because I have a schedule to follow. I feel sorry for some of my students because I know they are doing their best, but they can't keep up because they are not developmentally ready for it. Just this month, 1 of our students who is 6 yrs old (Korean age) quit. she felt she isn't as smart as her classmates because she couldn't read 😢 (they don't simply read words in class. They read an 8 page story, 1-2 sentences per page), and she writes the slowest in class 😢.

[@Garnishes]

thats just sad -- actually counting as 1 year old when they're born isn't a problem (that's just a matter of when do u wanna count from), but the fact that they become 1 year older every Jan 1 -- it's a huge disadvantage for those born later in the year because if u're born Dec 31, then u turn 2 years old even though u're out in the world for only 2 days.

[@jjba3571]

@@payat5067 omg that will destroy her self steem... she is young but not dumb to understand mockery, look how pressure she feels

[@payat5067]

@@jjba3571 im just happy because her mom didn't pressure her. She decided to transfer her to a public kindergarten where English isn't taught as a second laguange.

[@krishnarai4854]

Did 1 of the guy say he didnt like the change cause his gf might not call him oppa? Wtf

[@ppjskh]

LMAOOOO I know right, out of all the issues, dude chose that one. 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

[@phantommagnolia]

So?

[@OstrichFan]

It's funny lmao

[@herpyderpy4366]

You're missing the point. It alters the lifelong dynamics in a language with a robust honorifics system. He, like others in the video, was just illustrating the issue with an example.

[@floydmaseda]

@@herpyderpy4366 but he's literally still older than her because he was born earlier, so she would still call him oppa.

[@LadidaShaw]

I had a student in Korea who was far behind in class. Then I found out his birthday was in December . So really he wouldn’t have been so far behind in school if had he started school at a more appropriate age for him. The Korean age system can affect schooling.

[@user-pt9zn1lo6l]

I was born in December and I was able to get a scholarship with high grades from elementary school to college student.

[@piotrrywczak7971]

And I was born in February and didn’t have major issues in school. Now I tend to wonder if the maths material was easy because I was 0.5 years older than the “average” age the curriculum was designed for, since the very beginning. In my good, semi-private primary school there was an over representation of people born early in the year. In High-school I think it was more evenly distributed.

[@ElethuDuna]

I agree on the issue of school because imagine being born on 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, at the beginning of 2022, both those kids are 2 years old. One of them can possibly walk and even start to talk while the other one is still completely an infant, their development is completely far apart. I once saw a documentary about how most successful athletes either in American football or NBA have birthdays in the first half of the year. It's simply early development for those born in the first half of the year, compared to counterparts born later in the year.

[@piotrrywczak7971]

@@ElethuDuna There was an admission bias in my private primary school with "entrance exams" for the kids born earlier in the year. More of my peers were born at the beginning of the year than not. But it wasn't a 100% effect.

[@modgal]

Adopting the international age system makes so much sense developmentally, can you imagine (if born in Dec) being considered a 2 year old when actually you're only a few weeks old?? There's a HUGE difference in what a baby can do vs a toddler

[@urbanwater3376]

Tbh you wouldnt really call that baby 2 yrs old in korea... they count by months until theyre too old (like above 3yrs old) to count

[@yohan7083]

When you listen to the old man at 4:16 , he's got a point that a person's life starts from the moment of conception in the mother's womb. I believe that's the kind of mindset or belief persistent in the Korean society. It does sound logical tbh. But it also results in confusion with the international age system so...... I don't know. 😂😂😂

[@modgal]

@@yohan7083 yeah! he's got a point. maybe the answer is - you're 1 when you're born, but your age changes on your birthday and not Jan 1?

[@JosiahPayne8]

I worked in Korea for about a year as a teacher. It was very confusing, and during child development it caused a bunch of issues with my kids as some were so big as they could be 5yo international age while a 3yo international age would be considered to be the same age.

[@j23lo5]

Sorry what? Lol

[@pundah7084]

@@j23lo5 yeah its confusing. Watch 3:17

[@LAtttiful]

@@j23lo5 If one kid was born 12/31/2020 by new years day, he is 2 years old because they believe kids are already 1 years old by the time of their birth and everybody age goes up on new years day. Another kid was born January 1/1/2021 will still only be 1 years old because the year didnt age EVEN though kid 1 and kid 2 are only a few hours apart in birthdays.

[@LadidaShaw]

Yup that’s how it works and those developmental differences were so evident in my classes too.

[@pppl]

My takeaway from the last part of this video: never too late to do anything. What keeps ourselves from trying new things is our own mind. Nothing else. Don’t bother thinking about how old we are. We are who we are, not labeled by numbers.

[@lolmao500]

Yeah thats crazy... age is really something important in korean culture it seems... weird since most of the world doesnt care haha. The only age that matters is the age in your mind.... koreans should learn that... they would be happier.

[@pppl]

@@lolmao500 yeah, as they said they are following a strict “ranking” system by age, which is an important part of the oriental culture I believe. But I’m most impressed by the guy who would be concerned if he cannot be called “older brother” by his girl friend. Lollll

[@hannesRSA]

@lolmao500 oh they care.. many people are pretty ageist. Sometimes even those who themselves are older.

[@MoonStoneChannel]

Exactly 👍😉

[@skyshin39]

@@lolmao500 It's not difficult to change the age system, but it's a problem because it's a Confucian culture. There is a culture that gives preference to the elderly, so changing the age system to the date of birth would cause great confusion. Perhaps even now middle school and high school students will suddenly become confused. Unless there is a big age difference, it would be confusing. So, changing the age system in Korea is like trying to get rid of the Confucian culture. So it won't be easy. I think that one day we will have to change the age culture, senior and junior culture, but it is too early. I think it should be done when there are no people like Grandpa in the video now. The younger generation is less affected by age Confucian culture.

[@miaouscleaumonocle]

Funny how everybody says 'we'll be younger', whereas it won't change their age at all, only the way they count... However the question of age is important in Korea since there is always a social consequence: all people need to know whether they younger or older than their counterpart. In other cultures (eg. France), it can be very rude to ask someone's age, and in some situations seen as discrimination.

[@PaulVincentContreras]

We also have the noona-hyung system in the Philippines. We don’t call Ate/Kuya (Noona/Hyung) to people who were born on the same year 😅

[@mashitta5969]

It’s just a cultural differnce. Age matters in Korea in many ways.

[@kathakailin]

yes so interesting! I had the same thought, like it's not their bodies would change or their life experience could disappear overnight, because they change the system.

[@caileeragonesi527]

I think they mean "younger on paper", like what the woman who talked about job applications was talking about. Being able to put a lower number down for your age would make a difference in your shot at landing a job in S. Korea.

[@dokilsaram6949]

Age plays a very important role - in every aspect of a korean life! Job, school, friendships, partner etc. most common thing to share first if you meet a new person is rather ur age than your name. Thats how they know in what language(formal or informal) they should speak to you and which cultural-rules apply on you. The younger have to serve the older in korea mostly. The older also has some duties people expect from him.. like paying for a meal or so. So it could change some relationships how they speak with eachother. If you spoke formal with ur older friend before, maybe you will speak informal from now on.

[@angelalee7012]

I imagine changing to international age would be like trying to convince Americans to change to metric from imperial. A logical but impossible task.

[@yaz8078]

you’re right

[@ppjskh]

LOLLL

[@shogunshogun]

It would be much more convenient for Koreans to change their age system to what most of the world uses than Americans, or even Canadians for that matter, to change to the metric system since infrastructure like land is founded on miles, whereas the age system at the most would be changing paperwork. And the international age system is also more accurate than the Korean age system, so the so called age "rank" that some people use to justify their bias against the international age system would actually support it more than the Korean system.

[@stepahead5944]

Logical?😂

[@allistairelliott]

Ha ha ha. A good analogy I think. The UK has made that change from imperial to metric, but typically we often still think in pounds and ounces, rather than kilos and grammes. It's going to be even harder for Koreans to change their habits because, as many speakers said, the language relies on age hierarchies. Will new honoriphics emerge?

[@madeofcircles]

Some comments have mentioned this, but I think the issue of using honorifics or not could be based on year of birth and not international age. (To the guy who was worried his girlfriend couldn't call him oppa anymore, who's to stop her? 😂 ) Use honorifics with people born in years before you, even if you're technically the same age in international reckoning. Asking "What year were you born?" instead of "How old are you?" is a simple enough change that I think most people would become accustomed to very quickly.

[@koushinproductions]

He's not the sharpest tool in the shed and a definite Kkondae.

[@carolberryman]

Right? such a simple and obvious solution that flies over their head lol

[@thiya4627]

isn't asking what year they were born always there? afaik, they sometimes ask people what year they were born or the chinese zodiac/shio, instead directly asking how old people are. it just depends on the person itself

[@koushinproductions]

@@thiya4627 Exactly, if they ask what year they were born it's the same conclusion as to the korean age system, now if they were born the same year, then an easy what month and day where they born would suffice to find out who's older to assert their dominance plus a good T POSE.

[@inquisitvem6723]

Some people don’t like to calculate though

[@Tonyk24]

Didn’t even know the Korean age system existed tbh. That’s why I love this channel, always has me learning LOL

[@ytn00b3]

Depending on the year, you could be 2 years older than actual age.

[@justgado2772]

So did all over Asia I think. If you are a Chinese descendants, you will be older by 1-2 years old by the time you reach the 1st birthday 🙄

[@taru6157]

@@justgado2772 actually, china and japan switch to international age decades ago... only korea remaining using that age system.

[@fishcake__]

@@justgado2772 which all over asia do you mean lol? South east asia is asia too but we don't have that

[@dengist8172]

@@taru6157It’s a regional thing in China. Some regions still use it

[@LaLaLand926]

Being born on Dec 31st and turning 2 just a few hours later is insane 😭

[@user-vg3ly7le8j]

아기였을때는 몇개월이나 1년차이가 극심하다고 생각합니다. 하지만 제가 살아오면서 느끼기엔, 같은 학년이면 전국 학생이 같은나이 인겁니다. 누군가 그 사람에게 몇학년인지 물어보면 나이을 알수 있는거고 같은 학교 같은 학년이면 같은 나이인거요. 어떻게 보면 심플합니다.

[@user-vg3ly7le8j]

마찬가지로 태어난 년도를 알면 같은해 태어난 사람은 모두 같은 나이인걸 알수 있죠. 지금 날짜를 기준으로 생일이 지났는지 하나하나 따지기보다 나이를 알기보다 수월하죠.

[@LaLaLand926]

@@user-vg3ly7le8j Thank you for the explanation! Yes I can see how the current system has its perks when trying to determine the age hierarchy within a group. I have native Korean friends who are on either side of the issue.

[@user-pt9zn1lo6l]

I was born on December 31st. Korea is one year older after the new year, regardless of birthday. I feel this is unfair. But this is a rule, so I accept it. So, there's no problem

[@desperate_effort__3976]

Bro lived two years in two hours.

[@justme1553]

Other than the titles, it seems that removing the Korean age system would be a positive thing for many people in Korea. Achievements by a certain age is very important to Koreans and many of them end up stressing over "I haven't gotten to xyz in my life, and I am 30 years old now!" but going to the standard aging system. This could help people restart their mindset and give them more time to achieve their goals that they are working on or give them a boost to start working on their goals.

[@justme1553]

@Onii-Chan I'm sorry but what are you trying to say? Your sentence doesn't make sense.

[@larasatian2231]

People on the street: "2002, 2003, 1999" Me: " gosh, why they look so mature?"

[@AlfonsoEspina]

I find Koreans age a lot especially after 30. This is just observation as a foreigner who has been living here for over 2 years. I think it's because smoking is so mainstream here. And drinking.

[@harujo-koreanperspective1081]

As a Korean who is in college, I actually talked about this with my friends, but most of them were skeptical whether the entire convention we have done so far could change in a few years. Since the concept of "Friend (친구)" only makes sense in between those who are from the same age in Korea, the relationship will eventually not change just because the age system changes, and people will just use the conventional age counting system in our daily lives. But I personally feel it's a good thing to abolish Korean age system.I feel like I LIVE AS 24 YEARS OLD FOR 2 STRAIGHT YEARS. This is so cool TBH haha.

[@j23lo5]

I think it’s so interesting. Do Koreans think the Korean age system is a disadvantage education wise?

[@harujo-koreanperspective1081]

@@j23lo5 I think it's more of the repulsion against a sudden change of institution that had long held a significant role especially in language culture. Korean language has a very vertical property with very sophisticated horific levels. Since only one year old of age difference entirely changes which level of honorific you should choose to talk to the person, people will be confused when the age system changes.

[@fsmithh]

Veryyy interesting thanks for the insight ✨✨

[@carolberryman]

You can just you know keep using the year of birth for the age hierarchy purpose instead of causing developmental issues on children and teenagers

[@harujo-koreanperspective1081]

@@carolberryman Yeah I also think that could be what people would do in near future

[@WorldwideNah]

I'm Italian and although we don't have a honorific system like Korea we do ask each other our age. Usually you would respond with the year you were born regardless of when your date of birth is. For example, one of my closest friend was born in August of my same year and I was born in April, but since we were both born in 1995 we consider ourselves to be the same age (because we share the same birth year). So I'd say that in order to use honorifics you can still base it on your birth year.

[@citamora]

We do the same as well in my country. We don't ask how old are year but the year you were born and that how is the schooling system is set as well. If we born in the same year we friend I don't have to use. Honorific if you born a year older then me then I need to treat you as my older person regardless if the month you were born. We calculate age by year not date of birth.

[@JeanPaulBeaubier]

While trying to be respectful of the cultural history of Korean age, I also find the reasons for people to be pro-Korean age system so absurd if not totally shallow. Other people in the comments bring up good points about the problems that the Korean age system can have on the development/expectations of children, and I totally agree. As deep-rooted as it sounds like Korean age is, it's also just a little bit insane to think about, not just for kids but for potential teenagers going around thinking they're adults who have to take on the responsibilities of what it means to be an adult...without actually being the same age as their 'peers' who are adults....

[@Jjangbunbun]

Right…

[@ToadyWoods]

And beyond that, South Koreans already commonly live with their parents and use their parents money until their married anyway. I've heard them complain about being less mature than some counterparts around the world.

[@ahillmann]

3:53 "We are just so accustomed to the Korean age system. And we aren't familiar with the international system." Every progress-resistant person's answer ever in history: "We're just used to the old, the new stuff is hard." Also, Koreans are familiar with the international system. It's called "counting". They do it with everything, except age. They don't use the Korean age system to determine how old a car, a carton of milk or house plant is. They use the international system to do that. They are perfectly adept at using it. Most answers in this video were very "me" centric. Changing the system would bring minor inconveniences to them personally, therefore they are against it. Like this idea with honorifics. Under the international system people are still different ages, so they can still continue using honorifics. That won't change. And "becoming" younger under the international system? No, you won't. You're still the same age, the counting system just changes, and it applies to everyone, so the difference between your age and others' will remain the same.

[@dokilsaram6949]

Some ciritcs, I like it. But anyway, all koreans I know, they like that. They may sound criticial, but I guess its because of the way she asked the questions.

[@lawkey14]

I personally agree with this change, but I'd like to point out two things. 1. Think about the age difference between the two is less than one year. Like the couple in the video, if the person who was your 'oppa' until yesterday is the same age today, then should you stop using honorifics? And later when the guy's birthday has passed and there is an age difference again, should you need to use honorifics again? Even if the two personally agree not to use honorifics for each other, the relationship becomes more complicated when each other's friends become involved. 2. tbh who doesn't know that everyone gets younger together? They just wanted to joke about the good part of this change. Because for most Koreans, while this change causes many confusion in their daily life, but advantages are hardly to find. I just wanted to say that it is really huge for Koreans to introduce an international age, cuz it is not just about changing the number. It is related to fundamental aspects of daily life such as relationships and words with other people. But despite the difficulties, as I said earlier, I agree with this change.

[@carolberryman]

@@lawkey14 you can just keep using the year of birth for age hierarchy purposes. and for people who are friends/in a relationship this holds no relevance because you'd know the month of your friend/S.O. birthday so yeah, even if they are the same age in years, the older person will always be older. it sounds obvious but yeah they are still X months Y days Z hours older than you.

[@lawkey14]

​@@carolberryman Thanks for suggesting. So we can use international age officially, and use Korean age personally between us. Honestly, that's a good idea. Except we've actually been doing that since 1962. We are already using international age as the official legal age, such as when entering school or adulthood.

[@Ploiesti2001]

@@lawkey14 - If you are doing that already, why do you call a two year old at the nursery as being four or a three year old as being five ? Moving forward to school, why do you look down upon a child who is literally two years younger and can't compete with others who have two more years advantage because they lived for two more years ?!

[@Nezzeraj]

I was hoping for some follow up questions along the lines of "Is keeping something around culturally just because it's always been that way a good reason?" People shouldn't be a slave to cultural traditions. If a tradition is bad people should change it.

[@johnpark4650]

The Korean age system didn't last until recently just because "it was always there". Korean language has a strict rule of honorific and we needed a clean division of demographics to know what language we should use. Without such standards there'll be a lot confusion and accidental rudeness because we would say a wrong word to a wrong person (it's like using "Tu" and "Vous" in French, only with more complexity in Korean) It's harder to change a "tradition" if it means you have to reorganize the entire linguistic system at once.

[@Nezzeraj]

@@johnpark4650 I'm aware of why it has stuck around. My point is that many people in the video were saying they want to keep the Korean age system because "that's the way it's always been." That's not a good reason to keep something around. A further point can be made if tying respect to age is also worth keeping around.

[@johnpark4650]

@@Nezzeraj ah for that, fair point. There're plenty of perks of keeping certain traditions, but we should be careful of people who follow cultural rules just for the sake of it.

[@j23lo5]

Um…who are you to say what tradition is bad to a culture? That’s just your ignorant opinion

[@thomas.thomas]

@@Nezzeraj if something doesn't affect you in a negative way then certainly it's better to keep something since it has already been established. Don't change a working system

[@kiki_0514]

I do find it interesting that they would find it confusing to figure out who is older by birthdate as opposed to birth year. I live in Canada and even though we distinguish your age by your birthdate, I still consider people who are born in the same year as me as people my age, and people born a year before or after me a year older or younger than me, respectively. So in some ways it seems like our systems are different but they aren’t entirely, it’s all just perspective.

[@Jjangbunbun]

No it’s still different lmao

[@citamora]

​@@Jjangbunbun can you please explain? I understand what he said. Because we do calculate age difference by year mostly. Let say I person born on the 31st December 2022 is consider to be one year older then the person. Born in January 2023. Well logically speaking so 2022 are older then 2023.

[@Izquierda]

I wonder how many people realize they're not "getting younger", that it's all purely social convention. You don't need this to feel like you can learn that new language you've been wanting to study, etc. Just do it, the present is always the present. Of course age matters for job opportunities, social relations, etc., but I'm talking about things you can do on your own for self-development, for which a change in legal age makes no difference.

[@poppinc8145]

Nobody's talking about their biological age. They're talking about the social dynamics and impacts of having a lower age since everything in Korea goes by age. And no, everyone else won't be getting equally younger because the way age is counted is inherently non-equal. Someone born in January and someone born in December 2021 will both become a year older in January 2022 by the current system, and changing to the international system will indeed make a lot of people more-younger than others. Depending on how that effects their life in terms of social position they could like that or not like that.

[@hazmia151]

in Indonesia, we use titles to address older or strangers too like Korean but we use International age. So, it's best if Korean use the international age so it'd be easy for anything in international things like school education, health terms, or passport.

[@squeegie]

Korean people don't usually hang out with people that are not in their age group during their childhood. Seniority in schools (sunbe - kind of like senpai) is very considered very important from young age. Because respecting the older/elder is ingrained in our culture it would become a little awkward. I do like the international aging system better though.

[@hanbindays4176]

I think this might develop in a similar way as in Vietnam in the past. What I got from the video is that the Korean age is quite similar to the 'traditional' Vietnamese age which also takes the time you spent in the womb into account. When the international age became the administrative standard people still continued to use the old age system which is why until now my grandparents still think I'm older than my international age. Young people nowadays don't use it at all but it's still way more common to ask what year you were born in and not how old you are

[@AlfonsoEspina]

We have the age titles for respect in Filipino culture (For example: Our equivalent of Unnie/Noona is Ate.) too but we go by the international age when counting age. It isn't confusing for us because anyone who is older is older regardless of how many days/months/years.

[@lilila2516]

You're right, I was abt to comment something similar to this, but you explained it more clearly.

[@shreya-singh]

exactly ,here in India also we follow it like that and I find it more convenient.

[@lydiabuhril4349]

Exactly. It won’t be confusing coz if someone is older even by a month you still address them with titles in Asian countries where we have respecting titles for elders and also follow international age

[@thiya4627]

exactly, it's always like this in my country too

[@akbarwali]

Same in Indonesia

[@viniciuskenji4445]

For a country that changed its entire writing system, it seems an easy transition (easier than USA going metric lol).

[@ni5439]

The problem as some people said in the video, is that it affects social relationships. It's a Confucian country and they take age very seriously, their age system helps them rank each other fast. Even tho it's hecking confusing for non-Koreans

[@herpyderpy4366]

@@ni5439 ​ I'm surprised none of them mentioned, but it'd be very easy to maintain the exact same age-honorifics dynamic by simply asking each others birth years instead.

[@ni5439]

@@herpyderpy4366 Not if you use international age. It works with Korean age system, in which everyone goes up one year at the same time in Jan 1st, so the birthday date doesn't affect the age. But with international age, the way to know who is older is by asking year, month and day of birth

[@lucas9269]

@@herpyderpy4366 Japan and China use honorifics and ask for birthdays with international age without a problem.

[@webkinzcats4]

Well when they changed their writing system, it was a very slow process. Well known Chinese characters are still often used in news or on odd occasion. I don't know the full history so I can't tell you the straight facts, but from what I know hangeul was originally only used for educating lower classes

[@beltrangarrote1982]

Nobody is getting younger, I don’t get it. You still were born the same date and lived X amount of time. They become adults at 20 because of their system which is 18/19 in international age. So, they are already becoming adults at 18. The way the talk about it seems they think they would become adults at 16.

[@psychogenesis6755]

Well that explains why my Korean friend told me he was 24. Later I found out he was born 1997 and only made me more confused. I thought he lied to me about his age or I misheard him or something. (This was back in 2019 when we were in school) Turns out he was giving me his Korean age xD. I miss that guy, I hope the best for him

[@dokilsaram6949]

Thats weird tho. Usually koreans are aware of that and say like "I'm 24.. in korean age" And usually they tell you(other native koreans) their born date, not their age anyway

[@psychogenesis6755]

@@dokilsaram6949 probably a habit he had. I have no clue. But that's a good point you raised for sure

[@seoulforest275]

Actually, legal age was always international age since 1960s. Korean age always just used in social age.

[@webkinzcats4]

It's a little different though. Drinking age is listed as "19" (international age) but in reality it means 20 Korean age. People who are 18 in international age and 20 in Korean age are legally allowed to drink (or, bars and stores allow them to buy alcohol anyway)

[@seoulforest275]

@@webkinzcats4 Nope. The law itself is written 'Since the Jan 1st of year that turns into 19'. There is no korean age in any law that exist in Korea.

[@webkinzcats4]

@@seoulforest275 Ah okay, but that still isn't international age. International age would be if it was from the 19th birthday, not January first of the year they turn 19. Meaning the law follows a 3rd system, different from Korean age, and different from international age

[@user-rz8bi8lr7i]

True, that's why I really don't get the sense of "abolishing" the Korean age system. How can you abolish it if it has never been used officially or legally?

[@rjlee-cc4xy]

Same which is why I don’t think people will stop using Korean age socially. All of our laws are in the ‘international’ system, its the regular people that continue to use the Korean age system.

[@xxnike0629xx]

Regardless of how people feel, I suppose overall changing the age system to be more standardized with the rest of the world is going to have more global/international benefits in the long run. I understand that people are more used to the current age system and there's the whole traditions & culture aspect. But overall (again) there are benefits. It's also like how in the US, we still use the imperial system of measurements. So trying to change it to the metric system like all (wait...or most) countries around the world would make sense on a global scale, but it would require a lot of changes making it not likely; at least not in the near future.

[@dianeluers929]

The truth of the matter with the USA or metric & sports is America wants everything done their way. Because America 🇺🇸 wanted/wants to be seen as the new country freedom for all liberated (yadayada)...and so on. America will not change, but rather yet wants to change the world to their standards... We USA are different in using measuring, weather, & sports. Not because it wrong, just because America wants to be different. Remember beacon to all city on hill freedom... & all that jazz. 😙😔🤔 it's complicated, but hey it's the USA 🇺🇸! 😁

[@cindyversion1201]

@@dianeluers929 United States is lame

[@EvyDevy]

3:14 The Korean age system explained is here btw. Some born only week before you would be considered a whole year older than you with this system.

[@sagelenyatsa8246]

People care a lot about age in Korea. Sometimes, its the first thing they will ask you, before they even ask your name. A lot of them use it to classify people and see how much respect to give to you. To westerners it can seem superficial, but its pretty normal for Koreans. It just get's very tricky because if you accept a kindergarten job, you're basically a nanny to toddlers in diapers but they will tell you they are 5 years old or 4 years old. So its an important thing to note 😂

[@aeolia80]

So this is an extremely weird example of this........lol..... but when I was living in Korea the age for regular mammograms was at 42 years old. Normally in other countries it starts at 40. It takes a while for us foreigners living there to realise this age change corolates to the Korean age, because most Koreans when they are 42 Korean age will be 40 international age. Also something funny, at theme parks, the age limit for many rides, if it's not based on height, is how many months since date of birth. Because you know a newborn born in December will be 2 years old in January, so obviously they can't go on certain rides. It is funny to see kids rides that say something like 48 months instead of 4 years old 😂😂

[@ydalir]

I've always found the way people explain the Korean system to be overly complicated... Why not look at it like this? Say you are born in 1994. 1994 is the "first" calendar year of your life. When 1995 starts on January 1, you are now living in the second calendar year of your life. The Korean age system measured which year of your life you are /on/ rather than how many years you've lived.

[@AmbiCahira]

That's how I made sense of it too and now I have no issues at all with knowing my Korean age.

[@DanielSann]

I think the problem is the meaning of the question. When you ask someone's age you want to know how long they have lived so far, in korean the answer is "i was born in xxxx", it isn't the answer to the question.

[@ydalir]

@@DanielSann In English we ask "How old are you?" which implies that the meaning of "age" in English is equivalent to how old someone is. Koreans though don't ask age like that, they just ask "what's your age?" But the Korean term for age (살,나이) clearly has a slightly different definition than the English one, that's all. It's been convenient to conflate them, but perhaps not entirely accurate.

[@Tokai134]

It's confusing because that shouldn't be the definition of "age". They can call it "the year of life you are on counting from your birth year without consideration of your birthday or birth month"

[@k_jjunn06]

I'm born in December 30th, so I'll be 2 years-old in like 48hrs?

[@abaez7484]

I don't know if other westerners but I have a lot of stress about my age. Especially knowing where I should have been in my 30s and I'm still not. I understand those that doesn't want to be 30 yet and still have more time in their 20s to accomplish what they want.

[@takanoritoriyama]

if you are born october to december and you be considered 2 years old right after being born, to me thats dumb cause you will always be disadvantaged being smaller then other kids who are supposedly considered the same age as you. there are exceptions of kids growing bigger faster but the mass majority i think will always be relegated to being the small runt of their age group and they will be bullied by other kids who say they are the same age but they rlly arent.

[@kimleemoon]

Yeah it’s weird to only be 2 mos old in actual age (counting from birth) but 2 years old in Korean age.

[@lawkey14]

Actually, there is no problem about that because the school classifies them on a yearly basis. And also we use international age when entering school.

[@josi8366]

@@lawkey14 On what occasions do you use the international age?

[@lawkey14]

@@josi8366 Literally on every legal and official age. School, adult, election, license, enlistment, etc. Since 1962.

[@josi8366]

@@lawkey14 Ah got it. Very interesting how it all works. Do you know how this way of counting age came about?

[@Spacemongerr]

Calling someone by a honorific just because they are a few months older is so weird to me. Like, why? In my culture (Scandinavia), noone ever uses any honorific. We had sir/miss/missus (herr/frøken/fru), but we stopped using them more than 50 years ago. Now you just call everyone by their first name, that's who they are as a person. My dad, my little brother, my teacher, my friends, the shop worker...everyone is just called by their first name only. Sometimes we will use the last name or full name when talking about someone in media like a politician, but we often just use first names for them too.

[@Spacemongerr]

Oh, we will use Dr. and professor when talking about someone, especially the first time we talk about them. Then after that we just use the name, or say "the doctor" or "my doctor" And we don't use dr. when talking *to* someone, except if you want to be a little bit silly. Using a honorific when talking to someone here is kinda like putting on a nice suit to go to the grocery store: it's unnecessary and a bit silly, people would find it amusing.

[@Spacemongerr]

I know in some countries like Poland, it is very common to have nicknames. Here most people don't have any nickname, or at least most people will not use a nickname for you, maybe you know one or two people who will. Just first name mostly :) Do you use nicknames regularly in your countries?

[@Spacemongerr]

Oh and by first name I mean western style, the personal name. Not the family name.

[@Razear]

I know that even some non-Korean people consider the 9 month gestation period to be added to a person's age so you're automatically one year old right out of the womb. But I don't like the idea of everyone turning a year older on Jan. 1 and then again on your birthday, it doesn't make sense from a mathematical standpoint. Also didn't know that employers in Korea actively ask for a job applicant's age. Seems like they could actively discriminate candidates based on how long they are likely to remain in the position.

[@Sarah-ul9ec]

Koreans only "age" on January 1st, not on their birthday. And yes, there is heavy discrimination, not only in age but physical appearances as well.

[@KathyXie]

People in east asia traditionally consider gestation to be 10 month, because in lunar calendar months are 29 or 30 days. You don't age on your birthday, traditionally your birthday is really not that important.

[@1988kcmo]

In Korea, if I'm not mistaken, employers can legally discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation and appearance. You also need to submit a photo on your job application. It's commonplace to photoshop the photo to look as favorable as possible.

[@Sarah-ul9ec]

@@1988kcmo You're on point!!! Many are also pressured to do plastic surgery for this reason :(

[@kimleemoon]

True. Unfortunately, Korea doesn’t have discrimination laws like that

[@stuckintheblackholeofkpop2043]

I had tried and failed to understand the ins and outs of the Korean age system over the years, and now, thanks to this video I finally do..... Thanks to the same video, I find out it may now be demolished 😭😭 Oh, the irony...😅😩 This channel really is so great though :) These people all have really great perspectives, and though I agree with most of them, it's also really nice to hear points I hadn't thought of brought up. Like the fact that international you can be the "same age" as someone for half a year and then older/younger for the other half! I do see how that could be confusing... 😅😅 Another great video, AsianBoss! Keep up the great work ☺️👍

[@Elize2085]

I'm 28, but after international age system I will be 26 years old. I like it 😁 it's great to have more time for study and other things I was too old for.

[@Ploiesti2001]

No, dear, no one ever changes their age no matter how much they would like to, your age stays the same, only the way it's perceived will change. This means that your co-nationals will become more rational in their thinking when assessing people's age, a two day old has never been two years old in the history of manhood. almighty, how

[@otrupper4869]

This actually sounds easier to change than most other international laws/setups.

[@j23lo5]

No it doesn’t. How is it easy?

[@k_n_c_y]

@@j23lo5 From a technical standpoint, honestly would just have to alter paper work and ask people what year they were born (which, from my knowledge, they do anyway). It might be a huge culture shock and a bit difficult to get used to in social situations, however.

[@drax325]

honorifics wouldn't really change with international age, people are still older and younger. Maybe it would just be harder for schools, since there they probably all the same korean age, but could just adopt honorics by school year. Seems odd to hold so much by one year.

[@SU_fan_44]

Wow, that is fascinating. Very interesting video.

[@pedrobrazon6610]

I had no idea Korea had a different aging system. Good video

[@dadsade09ai9diadksladwaop]

Actually here, in Bulgaria, we use often "What year are you", which is the same. They use it for education mostly, but folks born before 2000 use it too. I do. The older the people, the more they use it, it somehow gives a sense of belonging to that period of time.

[@bodhipeace]

It's the better way. I support this system.

[@squeegie]

My father was born in late December. So after about 2 weeks he was 2 years old. Kids grow up so fast these days....

[@Ploiesti2001]

When I was a child, we used to read stories about heroes who grew up in one day as much as others in one year. It looks to me as though Koreans are in that mindset.

[@Garnishes]

The govt wants to change it and systemise it for ALL legal and paper work reasons so there’s less confusion. In social life and cultural holidays, people can (and probably will) still use the korean age system. It’s a win win. I don’t think people need to be concerned.

[@lawkey14]

Korea already has been using international age for legal/official age, since 1962. They want to standardize all ages, including social life.

[@Myumeful]

I don't understand why these people complain about the 호칭 or the formalities. They wouldn't change. An 'oppa' will still be an oppa because you'll BOTH be younger. Nothing changes. The big change was when they abolished the early birthdays (빠른년생) and no one thought that was a problem. Deep-rooted issues won't change if no one tries to make a change and it's time to update outdated Korean practices. It's also embarrassing how they claim Korea is the only country with a strict age-title system. There are plenty of countries where there are strict hierarchies and they don't find age confusing.

[@AlfonsoEspina]

I think that guy's comment just shows he isn't familiar with other cultures. We have the age title system in Filipino culture. For example our Oppa/Hyung is Kuya. Our Unnie/Noona is Ate. It's not confusing for us because anyone older by days/months/years is older period. We also count by international age in Filipino culture for birthdays.

[@sundaydriver15]

The guy at 2:48 still doesn’t get the age system right. If you are born in 2002 and your gf is in 2003 YOU WILL ALWAYS BE OLDER THAN HER. I was not expecting this casual video to make my blood boil so much 😂

[@cheesewhizxd7819]

That's not how it works, koreans don't get older on their birthdays, they get older on new year So right now they are 21 and 20 in korean system 19 and 19 in international

[@cafe9004]

I know a little bit about Korean age system things.I think that changes will be a good new for Especially for Young people

[@sharonpaige1322]

I was today years old when I found this out!! I learn something new every single day.

[@cihantosun3837]

한국에서는 여전히 사람관계에서 수직적인 관계가 있기때문에 당장 만나이를 사용하는것은 문화적으로 힘들것입니다. 하지만 공무원이든, 병원이든 많은 분야에서 만나이를 사용합니다. 충분한 계도기간을 가지고 만나이로 가는것이 좋을것같아요 :)

[@user-jj2uo9me4d]

그냥 몇년생으로 애기하면 되는거죠 ㅋㅋㅋ 1-2살 차이 형 동생 언니 누나 하는게 참 미개한 문화임 유교문화인지 뭔지는 모르겠지만 언제 바뀔지 ㅋㅋㅋ

[@cihantosun3837]

@@user-jj2uo9me4d 인정합니다 전 특히나 빠른이라서 더욱힘들어요

[@ctngel1990]

@@user-jj2uo9me4d 그래도 미개하다는 표현은 좀..

[@DavidAlgie]

You are actually nine months old when you are born. So the Korean system does make sense 🤔

[@mcn6541]

@@DavidAlgie what about premature babies? What about babies born in December who automatically become 2 years old by January ( a few weeks or days later) . Can you truly think of a day or week old baby as 2 years?

[@atamo4323]

Begin age counting upon conception is understandable because it is biological, like your body age. It is the lunar or farmer calendar used in China but now birthday is used in age calculation for official documents. But everyone gets older on Jan 1st is not easy to see the logic, like the lady said you become age 2 in one day if the birthday is Dec 31st. Change may not be easy because age hierarchy is surprisingly very important in korea. Do they celebrate birthday and not celebrate getting one year older?

[@allenk6373]

actually its not the case about hierarchy young generation do not really care maybe if your family is very strict than yes but mostly no in 2014 there was a video where in korea men in his 60s got pushed from the bus by a teen and fell to a ground, when people helped him they asked aren't young people suppose to respect elder in korea?(one of them was a women from America) he said its not the first time this happens, nowadays kids do not care about that, and do not really respect the elders and I don t think its good also korean little kids are very liberated meaning that 8yo can talk to like 35yo as if its his friend or his pear also I have korean frend in university who is 19 and he said that his little brother who is 11 never listening to him and always mocking him down, and he cant do anything about it which is also not very good

[@dokilsaram6949]

Well, but you don't get born after 12months pregnancy. So its already wrong to be 1 year upon birth. And you celebrate both. Birthday and 1year older. Korea is the paradise of celebrating special days ! Probably they did so to boost the economy... You even celebrate stuff like 100days old baby, 100days old relationship and stuff lol The 11.11th of each year is Peppero day where you give eachother these snacks. There is a "white day", a cucumber day, beef jerky day etc. pp. rly crazy

[@Garnishes]

i agree. the 'everyone gets one year older on Jan 1st' is quite ridiculous and doesn't make sense. as for whether one counts from 0 or 1 year old from birth...that's just a preference and system -- it doesn't cause that much confusion or issues.

[@Stephenwhite013]

It’s ok to have respect for your elders but to the point where you gotta ask for somebodies age before a fight is ridiculous Korea gotta calm down. Age doesn’t signify importance

[@Nezzeraj]

But in Korean culture it does. That's there the problem is.

[@user-um9ij6zs5v]

한국에서는 그냥 이름 같은 겁니다. 새로 만난 사람에게 이름이 뭐야?라고 물어 그 사람을 알아가듯 한국은 나이에 따라 취해야 하는 방식이 다르기에 습관처럼 몇 살이야?라고 묻는거죠. 중요하진 않지만 한국에서는 필연적인 부분이라 생각합니다.

[@sambatra6162]

@Stephen White In asian countries it does

[@spicymangooo]

I actually wish there was a segment to explain the history/beginnings of the age system. I’m more curious about that. It’s no surprise the interviewees didn’t want the change. No one wants to change something that’s deeply rooted in everyday life.

[@josi8366]

Me too. I want to know whose idea that was.

[@Yuunarichu]

@@josi8366 Isn't it Confucianism?

[@TropicalPianist]

I watched the video cause I am interested in Korean culture and to see if I could understand the content of this video w 2-3 years of self-studying and the answer is yes. Pretty happy about that, studying a lot though.

[@kyliex6310]

China has that kinda of age concept too. When every new year comes, you will add one year up. But it's not formal and Chinese don't have the age-rank differences in their grammar.

[@ME-mx4gn]

That’s why we Chinese always say that the ancient Korean didn’t get the spirit of oriental philosophy. Age is not the only thing to make you respect someone.

[@sambatra6162]

@@ME-mx4gn well koreans don't really need to do that

[@yassineselmi7714]

4:38 frankly am amazed how he looks young at the age of 76. In my country at 76 you look way older than that

[@barbg]

Hello. I appreciate the general intelligence with which you at Asian Boss formulate your videos. You tend to talk through and explain topics in ways I've never considered; thank you so much for that. The world is a very small place these days, isn't it? We all must make more earnest attempts to understand each others viewpoints. In any case, would you please consider responding to this video offered by the channel 'US Military News': "Finally! Ukraine Used An American M777 155mm Howitzers To Destroy Russia" I'm not going to offer its addy here bc I know youtube frowns on that but you can certainly find it without that info. 🌻

[@tanutiwari6532]

The guy how says it doesn't matter because there are various vital issues which needs to be addressed, hats off to him✌️✌️🙏🙏

[@Jim73]

Had no idea this was a thing! Great video! Also, isn't that kind of weird you can be "2" after just a few days if born in late December?! Yikes! And you all celebrate your age increase on the same day? I would never have to remember another birthday again! We should switch the International System to the Korean System. ;) (j/k)

[@Ploiesti2001]

LOL...this is the best comment so far and I've read dozens. So simple, no birthday cards, no gifts, no hard feelings for forgetting someone's birthday. I like your thinking, it's not only outside the box, it's outside of everything.

[@hanny9662]

10:50 - 11:22 that's the issue i mostly thought about, currently a friend is known as an "unnie" and stays that way all the time as your age changes at the same time, however if they use international age the titles will be changing around all the time. I think a way around this could be to just ask each other birth years as is usual now, and continue to use titles according to birth years but un-link that to age. For example if both are 20 but one born in 2001 and the other in 2002 then they will use honorifics, or if one is 19 and one is 20 but both born in 2002, no honorifics. It would definitely be confusing though and I doubt even if the government tried to change it it wouldnt work, especially as international age is already used in legal proceedings and it's currently just social usage, they can't force people to change what they're used to and what comes naturally. And an even bigger issue, a it would completely change the dynamic of a lot of pre-existing relationships if the titles change. Im sure a lot of people would just leave them as they were or forget honestly, or it would be uncomfortable

[@dokilsaram6949]

Sorry, but its already weird to call someone unnie, if she's only 2 years older. Usually koreans don't do that. Especially not koreans who are younger than.. 40 And you don't decide how to address someone by the age anyway, but by the date someone was born.

[@Ploiesti2001]

@hanny - My dear, don't you have names in Korea to know how to call people ? The rest of the world have those, you know, they come in rather handy.

[@Yuunarichu]

@@Ploiesti2001 Is it not rude to call older people by their names alone? You need honorifics, no?

[@Ploiesti2001]

@@Yuunarichu - No, you don't need honorifics for someone older than you by a few months or just a couple of years.

[@markmankoo]

Great video. Could you interview some people in Busan please?

[@firefly618]

It's just a different rounding algorithm. We all have been living a certain number of days (say 10,000) or even seconds, but it gets annoying to count and communicate, so you can round it down to full solar years (western system) or you can round it up to fixed lunar year boundaries (Korean system). It's just a custom, but it works well in Korean culture, so I don't think they should change it.

[@JJoda]

I think they will be fine. It seems to me that a lot of the problems stem from honorifics with their current friends and peers but I think after a little time has passed they would get used to it. It's like Daylight savings problem. It's such a very small thing that people have their sides for but at the end of the day, if it was gone it would cause very few problems and those problems will be short term for sure.

[@MyIdentityIsCat]

Idk about other countries besides the US but usually from my experience same year we treat eachother as friends but someone who was born a year before we treat as older and a year after as younger. Even if my birthday is December and someone is January the year is different we don’t go into specifics just the year when introducing ourselves to someone.

[@nigarhasanli9129]

I thought especially young people would be really happy about it, but it wasn't even close to what I expected. I'm so surprised by the answers😮

[@stuckintheblackholeofkpop2043]

Ah. How I just wish these people would realize how young they still are :(( And that following your dreams or passions or hobbies or interests, isn't about age! Seize the day loves♡ It is *never* "too late"...

[@Malodaiofficial]

Born in December 30, after 2 days you become two year old. Please no offense but this is completely nonsense system.

[@j23lo5]

I think Koreans are smart enough to use boths systems. One abroad and one when in Korea. They shouldn’t abandon their culture for the sake of the international community

[@j23lo5]

Did the government say why they wanna change it. Is this the reason koreans are super educated? Because they are like 2 years ahead?

[@user-oj4wq7cv5h]

편집이 예술이다~

[@MsVibrato]

The born year on the internet is correct ? or Has it also added up already?

[@L4yd33Jaii]

The Philippines has an honorific language system too and they use the international age. They just go by their birth year but aren't super calculative about the months. Like you can be friends with people a couple of years older or younger than you. It isn't super strict. But the main difference is many Koreans also use the lunar calendar in South Korea. For example, people born before Lunar New Year are considered same age friends with the people a year before them but if they agree they can also be friends with the same-year friends. Confusing right...? So let's say I was born early February 1991 (before lunar new year). Then people born in late February 1990 (after lunar new year) to early February 1991 will be considered my same age friends but then it gets confusing depending on when you start school. Like if you start right away or if you start later. If I started later then I could also be same age friends with people born in 1991 but if I start earlier I will be their unnie or noona. That's why they have the so called "fast" 91er who are friends with those born in 1990, etc...

[@Ploiesti2001]

Silly me, I thought being friends with someone means you have a lot in common or maybe just one thing in common, you both share something that keeps you together and it makes it worth spending time with that person. The age being the only criteria is incomprehensible to my mind, I had so many classmates during my 12 years in school but there was only one who became my friend and that was not because of her age but rather a compatibility in our personalities.

[@L4yd33Jaii]

@@Ploiesti2001 Yeah that is how it is normally but in Korea it's a bit different. Usually, they call people the same age as them as "friends" even if they aren't that close. Because they have the honorific culture. It makes it more sense when you learn the Korean language because it is tied to their language and culture.

[@citamora]

​@@Ploiesti2001 now I understand. Your year start in February we start in January

[@wengkiong]

I DON'T see how changing to international age REMOVES the importance of age and the seniority that Koreans obsessed over. It is just changing the WAY you count age based on a different standard, and INTERNATIONAL standard I might add. It would bring Korea in line with the rest of the world. Those who object to the change you'd notice are the older ones or those who want to protect their precious seniority. Seniority does not disappear in the international system. How does Koreans think the rest of the world function without seniority?? And that comment that international system does not place importance on age is purely ridiculous.

[@Ploiesti2001]

Koreans - they need to get out of the country more often. They are still wearing masks covering their entire face out in the street in the fresh air - I mean, really, how dangerous is for a twenty-something to breathe unrestricted ?! The pandemic has come and gone, these people are still behaving like in the first weeks of it ?!

[@eio1971]

I knew a little about this when I traveled to South Korea, but now I got details very interesting.

[@Hana-wu6gx]

A lot of people are talking about development issues and stuff, but of course that's already taken into account. Korean children don't start elementary school until they're seven in Korean age, but that's like 5 or 6 in international age. Also, they're on about the difference in age groups in school but it's a year maximum? It's the same as in every country I don't know what they're on about 😂 Personally I quite like the system being a Korean myself but I also live abroad and it does make things a headache when I'm trying to calculate which school year I'm in, especially since the school year starts in March in Korea 😂

[@AndorranStairway]

I never thought that it was a big deal. I’m a year older than my girlfriend who’s Korean, and it’s not like we see each other as being of the same age. Koreans can just change their age to be a year younger when they’re overseas. At the end of the day, their date of birth is the one that’s shown on their passport

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

All these people seem so educated, well groomed and polite. I wish I had the money to visit South Korea one day. I didn't even know about this different aging system. Thanks for explaining it, as well.

[@lexstronda4586]

They were cherry picked, and they didn't / don't show who didn't want to be interviewed, don't lie to yourself thinking they went at a random destination and these were the first "5 people" to pass by.

[@Ploiesti2001]

They interviewed dozens of people and then the hard work started in selecting the best and most representative answers. Personally, I think the selection is very good.

[@16jker]

Very interesting indeed

[@kieranshae]

what is the actual purpose of the age system? is it used for anything? I heard it was so kids would all be the same age as their peers, so all kids in 3rd grade are 8 for example and that doesn't confused the hierarchy system of speech. But if the speech system isn't going to change, wouldn't it benefit children to use the hierarchy system in school anyway. In the US school is done by birthdate, so for example you must be 6 yrs old before September to join the first grade class. If you are born after September you will join the next year. It sort of solves the same problem as I understand it.

[@rijuchakraborty9996]

I'm just thinking about IU (kpop idol) who made an entire album talking about her entering into her thirties this year🤡🤡🤡🤡now she is still gonna be in her twenties lol😭😭😭🤓

[@rjlee-cc4xy]

Eh I don’t think this law will impact how Koreans say their age socially. All of our laws have been readjusted to fit international standards decades ago, the only time we use Korean age really is socially, and regardless of whatever laws might be implemented people probably won’t stop saying their ages in Korean system. Maybe not tho idk

[@rijuchakraborty9996]

@@rjlee-cc4xy oh i see.. Thats true ! Thanks for the information

[@oyuyuy]

It's very funny that they think they'll actually be younger and that they'd change the way they live because of it.

[@Kevin6059]

Very interesting. I Had no idea.

[@Myth520]

In China, the birthday on ID card is usually written by lunar calendar, mine is 26th of Aug, but according the international calendar, I was born in 1st of Oct. It happened many times when my foreign friends say Happy birthday to me from FB on 26th of Aug😂

[@Immortal-Daiki]

I was born in November. So does that mean that I would be 2-years-old in just 2 months? I'm a time traveller

[@Kahel31]

Little History : this system comes from China and was used in several asian countries for a while but as been abandonned gradually. North Korea has stopped using this system in 1980, leaving South Korea the only country in the World to use it nowadays. (Thx wikipedia haha)

[@soonim-kd6pp]

hahah i think skorea wants to be quirky by using their age system,, justkidding :}

[@sk8ergalx]

Administrative aside, it is complicated because there are many social rules surrounding age on Korean society that makes it complicated. Just one year difference and the way you call and treat someone is different

[@nat6429]

As an outsider, I see it as a convenience for everyone around the world to have the same age system, but I do think it's a shame that different cultures can lose and are losing the things that make them different. It may seem, to some, to be a small change, but for people like the older gentleman, I can imagine it is quite sad to see something that was once so accustomed, to be abolished.

[@commie5211]

Makes no difference, the older kid still gonna tell the younger kid to get him a cup of tea.

[@katysm8115]

To all Koreans out there please educate me 'cause I'M REALLY CURIOUS and I really have no idea. What are you using your Korean age or International age for: -Official Documents (like government transactions) -Bank Accounts -School Documents -Hospital Records Etc. If you're using the International age in those aforementioned list, isn't confusing?

[@rjlee-cc4xy]

Socially, we use the Korean age system, however we use the ‘international’ age system for laws and legal aspects. Which is why this ‘change’ doesn’t really make sense to me because regardless of whatever laws may be implemented people probably won’t stop using their Korean age cause its just what we’re used to(?) Idk maybe it will change 🤷

[@kateburbery2955]

I still think their “ranking” of age by calling each other unni, oppa, etc..would still work. When I lived in korea, everyone just asked the year. And in international age, if someone asks your birthday, you say the whole date but we think mostly about the year. So even internationally, if someone was born in 1993 like me, I would say, we’re the same age! 친구!

[@summer-jy2pw]

unrelated but it's so wild now, seeing people my age get included in interviews like this as someone born in 2004 lol bc people who usually get interviewed range from 18-80 years (+ the occasional 10 year old)

[@josuevalar6465]

Bruh that age system is so foreign to me haha, so everyone from a generation has the same age? That's so unique idk hahahah. Kinda sad that it's gonna go, but I wouldn't want it to be my age system

[@rrr.8]

This age-counting system is traditional east Asian culture, called 虚岁(xusui) in China and 数え年(kazoe doshi) in Japan. This is used for traditional or religious events in China and Japan. So I think Korea will just be the same as them

[@ME-mx4gn]

Never been a problem in those places

[@ngthoangyen]

Vietnam has that culture too called tuổi âm but it's only used for when I go for fortune telling or when someone deceases and their age will be counted traditionally.

[@rrr.8]

@@ngthoangyen yeah it's all from China actually

[@dokilsaram6949]

@@rrr.8 No, all by africans actually. How far do you wanna go back in history? :D

[@ngthoangyen]

@@rrr.8 Yeahh probadly, I used to not like that kind of counting when it made me one year older but there was one time when a monk asked me how old I am, I answered my prefered counted age and then he said I need to count one more year because I had existed 9 months before that and my mum had carried me, I should not deny my mum's effort like that, then I knew part of the reasons, before that I always opposed when someone counted like so.

[@rossk7927]

It seems to me that the primary pushback was around honorifics - could they just use relative birth year to set titles instead of ”age”? Or are there cultural reasons this might not be adopted?

[@Mikasaxx0]

This is the reason when I meet Korean it's better to ask them which year & month they are born instead of their age because some tells you their Korean age instead of International age. Sometimes they're younger than you but their Korean age makes them older and make us confuse. I wonder if their age system effects them while looking for job abroad.

[@mattm2975]

Hmm pretty weird. Makes sense to abolish it to me. Korean age system doesn't actually represent someone's true age, so it just makes everything confusing. I don't really consider the international age system to be a "different" age system. It's simply the objective and correct age system since it literally counts the exact number of days you've been alive since birth.

[@pragueexpat5106]

This kind of system is not unique to Korea, Mongolia has a very similar system because of the lunar calendar, but this age system is just not used for official IDs, documents, or even for everyday conversations.

[@dokilsaram6949]

Korean age system is also not used for official IDs or documents. You write down ur born date obviously :D Like in any other country. As for that, korean legal age is 19, not 18 as in most other countries. So I wonder if they reduce the legal age now.

[@atamo4323]

It is interesting ppl in Hong Kong use age titles to reflect status/to impress/to joke and it may not come naturally with age. This system is common but not official. Like John big brother, Amy big sister. Younger titles are not used as much. In the last two decades or so, ppl addressing manager as older brother and sister. Higher manager is father and mother. The top person as grandfather. Not really grandmother because not too many females are at the top top and grandma sound too old (beauty is important). Not sure the common title nowadays for the big boss lady, maybe just Big Boss.

[@coding_kanya542]

Personally if compared then I think that the international age system makes more sense than the korean one but again it depends upon what we are used to .