A Whole Country Gets Younger
On June 28, all South Koreans got younger! Was it the result of a Nobel Prize scientific discovery?
No, the country decided to jettison a traditional age custom that counted infants as a year old at the time of birth.
Furthermore, the old system had them turn a year older on January 1 rather than on their actual birthdate. A child born on New Year’s eve would have been considered two years old the very next day! Surveys indicate that 86% of adults plan to use the new standard international system of age reckoning. As a result, nearly all South Koreans will be younger by at least a year. Seoul resident, Choi Hyun-ji, 27, said, “It’s just great to feel like [you’re] getting younger.”
Source: World Magazine, August 12, 2023, page 23
