South Koreans will soon be a year or two younger, following an official change to the country's age counting system.
The country's parliament, called the National Assembly, passed a series of bills requiring the use of the international age counting system, where age is based on date of birth.
South Korea currently uses three age counting systems, but most citizens adhere to the "Korean age," where a person turns 1 as soon as they are born and gains a year on each New Year's Day. For example, a child born on December 31st would be considered 2 years old the following day.
The change will take effect next June.
More than 80% of South Koreans supported the unification of the age counting system, according to a September poll by the country's Ministry of Government Legislation.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had promised to unify the country's age counting systems during his campaign earlier this year, saying they created "unnecessary social and economic costs".
South Korea has calculated age by dates of birth since the 1960s.
But while most East Asian countries have done away with the traditional age counting system, some have yet to follow suit.
For example, in China, where the nominal age counting system is used, a person is considered 1 year old on the day they are born and gains a year on the Lunar New Year.
Source: NPR
