By Yoon Sojung

Foreign media like CNN of the U.S. have given major coverage to the National Assembly of Korea's passage of a revised system of counting age under civil and administrative laws.

In a Dec. 9 article headlined "South Koreans are about to get a year or two younger, thanks to a new law," CNN said, "At present it's common for South Koreans to have not just one age, but three – an 'international age,' a 'Korean age' and a 'calendar age,'" adding, "But to end confusion, the country's parliament has decreed that from June 2023 all official documents must use the standard 'international age.'"

International age, or using a full year to define age, means the number of years since a person is born starting from zero and is the system most countries use. Korean age refers to the traditional method many Koreans use to deem a baby a year old on the day of birth and add a year every Jan. 1.

Used mainly by the Korean media, calendar age refers to calculating age by subtracting the year of birth from the current year.

Citing as an example rapper Psy, best known for his 2012 smash hit "Gangnam Style," CNN said, "Born on December 31, 1977, he is considered 44 by international age; 45 by calendar year age; and 46 by Korean age," adding, "However, some laws – including those surrounding the legal ages for drinking, smoking, and military conscription – use calendar year age."

"That move, which follows a long-running debate over the issue, will bring the country into line with most of the rest of the world and cut down on legal discrepancies that arise from the use of three different systems."

The Washington Post of the U.S. in its Dec. 8 article headlined "South Koreans to become year younger after scrapping traditional age system" said, "The change was a campaign promise by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who cited social and administrative costs caused by the traditional method when juxtaposed alongside the international system."

On Korean age, the daily said, "Experts say the method was kept in South Korea due to its culture of hierarchy," quoting Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu as saying, "People finding their age one or two years younger will create a positive social impact as well."

In the Dec. 8 article headlined "Almost Everyone Is About to Become a Year Younger in South Korea," Bloomberg of the U.S. said the country will adopt a new system of international age to prevent legal disputes related to age in signed contracts.

The BBC of the U.K. in its Dec. 8 article headlined "South Korea: Age system to be standardised from 2023" reported the changes in the country's age counting method. It quoted Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party as saying, "The revision is aimed at reducing unnecessary socio-economic costs, because legal and social disputes as well as confusion persist due to the different ways of calculating age."

The U.K.'s Reuters and Japan's Kyodo News also posted reports on this development.

arete@korea.kr