1. What is South Korean Age?

South Korean age is a traditional age-counting method where everyone gains one year on New Year's Day (January 1st) rather than on their actual birthday. At birth, a baby is already considered 1 year old.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Korean age formula:

Where:

• \( Current Year \) — The current calendar year
• \( Birth Year \) — The year of birth

Explanation: In Korea, age is calculated by counting the number of calendar years a person has lived through, plus one year at birth.

3. Importance of Korean Age

Details: Korean age is deeply embedded in Korean culture and social hierarchy. It affects how people address each other, social interactions, and even legal matters like military service and school admissions.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter your birth year and the current year (defaults to current year). The calculator will show both your Korean age and international age.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why is Korean age different?
A: It originates from ancient East Asian age-counting traditions that consider time spent in the womb as the first year of life.

Q2: Is Korean age used legally?
A: Since June 2023, South Korea officially uses international age for most legal and administrative purposes, but Korean age remains important socially.

Q3: How does birthday affect Korean age?
A: Unlike international age, your birthday doesn't affect your Korean age - everyone gets one year older on January 1st.

Q4: What's the maximum difference between Korean and international age?
A: The maximum difference is 2 years (for someone born on December 31st just before January 1st).

Q5: Do other countries use this system?
A: Similar systems were traditionally used in other East Asian countries, but South Korea was the last to maintain it officially.