Korean Age Difference

 

What is Korean Age?

Lunar New Year marks an important time of year for Korean people. This is because during the New Year, everyone is actually considered a year older! 

Korean age is a way that South Koreans calculate their age. It is always one or two years more than your international age. South Koreans consider a year in the womb as counting towards their age, so everyone is one year old at birth. Everyone gets one year added to their Korean age on New Year’s Day. South Korea is also the only country that practices this.

How does the Korean age system work?

Your Korean age will always be at least one year older than your international age. That’s because the Korean age adds one year because of the time you spent in the womb before being born (approximately one year).

Your Korean age will change on New Year’s Day, not on your birthday. People in Korea still celebrate their birthdays on the day they were born and count their actual age. However, it doesn’t affect their Korean age as it changes on January 1st. Korean age isn’t calculated based on your birthday.

A good example is my Grandson Keegan was born on Dec 10th. He was one year old that day. 21 days later on 1 Jan, he turned two according to Korean belief. He didn't get to celebrate his birthday until the next Dec 10th, but he had been on this earth 21 days and was two years old.

Celebration of Baek-(100-Day) il’s Korean Birthday

100 days after the child’s birth, a celebration honoring Baek-il is conducted. The number 100 has significant meaning in Korean culture.

A little celebration, rice cakes, plus miyeok-guk are given to a youngster who has reached 100 days of age.

My brother-in-law explain this as in older days so many kids died before 100 days that it is believed if your child lived for 100 days, they would live a long life.

Conclusion

Everybody in South Korea shares the same birthday: January 1st or New Year’s Day. However, that’s not when they celebrate their actual birthday.

Everybody has their own birthday, complete with cake and candles. South Koreans celebrate their birthday on the day they were born, just like how the international age system works. But on your birthday in Korea, you are not considered one year older than the day before.