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South Koreans turned a yr or two youthful on Wednesday after a regulation standardizing the best way the federal government counts age took impact.
There are three widespread methods to depend age in South Korea, however the authorities has modified its civil code to acknowledge one: ranging from zero on an individual’s date of beginning and including a yr at every birthday.
This is the age-counting methodology used most frequently world wide, however it’s a departure from the nation’s hottest methodology, typically referred to as “Korean age.” Under that system, an individual is taken into account 1 yr outdated at beginning, and a yr is added to their age every Jan. 1. This meant that an toddler born on Dec. 31 was thought-about 2 years outdated the subsequent day.
Why It Matters: The mess of methods prompted confusion and errors.
The three methods for counting age have confused and inconvenienced South Koreans in every kind of conditions together with well being suggestions, labor disputes and social hierarchy.
For instance, some well being officers used inconsistent age requirements for coronavirus vaccinations. So, an individual might be required to indicate proof of vaccination based mostly on their age below one system however wouldn’t really be sufficiently old to get a vaccine below one other system.
Supporters of the change say the brand new customary will cut back these conflicts.
But it doesn’t but apply to all circumstances.
Children will proceed to start out elementary college utilizing the nation’s third counting system, generally known as “year age”: Age-counting begins as zero at beginning, then provides a yr each Jan. 1. Under this technique, a child born on Dec. 31 turns 1 the subsequent day.
For now, “year age” will even nonetheless be used to find out whether or not an individual can drink, smoke or serve within the army. So, an individual born in any month of 2004 is taken into account 19 years outdated and, due to this fact, is eligible for all these issues.
Background: The different counting strategies are a deeply rooted customized.
The new official age-counting methodology has been used for many authorized and official functions in South Korea because the Nineteen Sixties.
South Korean lawmakers authorised a invoice in December to scrap the opposite age-counting strategies and “minimize unnecessary conflicts related to age and to establish social practices that conform to international standards.”
There was broad assist for the change from politicians and the general public. More than 80 p.c of residents the federal government surveyed in September stated that they supported the invoice.
Suh Chan S., a professor within the division of sociology at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, advised The New York Times final yr that whereas different nations together with China and Taiwan used related age-counting strategies, South Korea was the one nation that also formally acknowledged them.
It stays to be seen whether or not the opposite age-counting strategies will likely be deserted all collectively.
Source: www.nytimes.com