The application of the international system to calculate the age of the population in South Korea enters into force

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The measure to make use of the international system to calculate the ages of the population has entered into force this Wednesday in South Korea, so the Asian country will abandon its unique formula, especially in administrative and judicial areas.

Thus, the amendments to the Civil Law and the General Law of Public Administration will make the population one or two years younger and will allow the multiple systems to count the age of South Koreans to be unified. Now, the country will use the international one, based on the date of birth.

Currently, three different systems for counting age survive: the most common, the so-called ‘Korean age’, establishes that a person turns one year old on the day they are born and two years old on New Year’s Day; the second system links age to the date of birth and is internationally recognized; and the third establishes that each New Year the population adds one more year of life.

However, the international system had already been used for some time at the administrative, civil and judicial levels, as well as to establish measures such as the minimum age for the consumption of alcoholic beverages, among other official matters.

For the moment, several travel agencies and dating websites have claimed to continue using the Korean system and have argued that, in these cases, “it could cause confusion.”

Critical voices have pointed out that this difference in systems can cause confusion when it comes to providing medical, administrative and welfare services to the population, and could lead to unnecessary costs, according to information from the Yonhap news agency. The country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, had vowed to unify the system during his election campaign.