South Koreans Set To Become A Year Or Two Younger Thanks To Change In Law: Report

South Koreans are now a year or two younger due to a new law that aligns the country’s traditional age-counting methods with international standards, BBC reports.

Changes in Age-Counting
The law eliminates the traditional system that considered South Koreans one-year-old at birth, counting time in the womb. It also discards the method that aged everyone by a year every first day of January, regardless of their actual birth date. The new system, based on birth date, took effect on Wednesday.

Reasons for the Change
President Yoon Suk-yeol strongly advocated for this change during his election campaign last year, arguing that the traditional age-counting methods led to “unnecessary social and economic costs,” including disputes over insurance payouts and eligibility for government assistance programs.

Impact and Exceptions
Despite the change, several existing statutes based on the “counting age” calendar year system will remain. For instance, South Koreans can purchase cigarettes and alcohol from the year they turn 19, not from the exact birth date.

International Standards
The traditional age-counting methods were also used by other East Asian countries, but most have abandoned them. Japan adopted the international standard in 1950, and North Korea did the same in the 1980s.

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