Standardising ages will “reduce various social confusions and disputes”, mentioned Lee Wan-kyu, the Minister of Government Legislation, at a news briefing on Monday.
The regulation, handed by South Korea’s Parliament final December, can be anticipated to “greatly reduce social costs that have been unnecessary due to the mixed use of age standards,” Lee mentioned.
He mentioned this had been a serious pledge by President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took workplace final May.
In South Korea, “international age” refers back to the variety of years since an individual was born, and begins at zero — the identical system utilized in most different nations.
But when requested their age in casual settings, most South Koreans will reply with their “Korean age”, which might be one and even two years older than their worldwide age.
Under this technique, which has its roots in China, infants are thought-about a yr previous on the day they’re born, with a yr added each January 1.
In some circumstances, South Koreans additionally use their “calendar age” — a mash-up of worldwide age and Korean age — which contemplate infants as zero years previous on the day they’re born and provides a yr to their age each January 1.
Take Gangnam Style singer Psy, for instance. Born on December 31, 1977, he’s thought-about 45 by worldwide age; 46 by calendar yr age; and 47 by Korean age.
If this sounds complicated, it’s, with each day life within the nation typically switching between the hodgepodge of various methods.
Even with the brand new standardisation, the previous methods will nonetheless be utilized in some circumstances, the federal government mentioned on Wednesday.
For occasion, youngsters sometimes enter elementary college in March of the yr after they flip six years previous (in worldwide age), no matter which month their birthday falls — which is able to proceed.
Laws on age-restricted merchandise like alcohol or tobacco will even be primarily based on the yr somebody is born, no matter month. This means two individuals born in January and December 1990 are judged to be the identical age.
Under this regulation, persons are allowed to purchase alcohol beginning within the yr they flip 19 (in worldwide age).
The similar methodology will proceed for use for South Korea’s necessary navy service — that means persons are eligible primarily based on the yr they had been born, reasonably than their particular age or start date.
“The government decided to contain such exceptions even after the revisions go into effect, as it is easier to manage such issues on a yearly basis,” Lee mentioned on Wednesday.
Many residents are prone to proceed utilizing the standard Korean age system in day-to-day life and social eventualities, as is widespread.
But others could welcome the change; in a ballot by the Ministry of Government Legislation, 86.2 per cent of respondents had mentioned that they might use the worldwide age system.
And it marks a victory for lawmakers who’ve spent years campaigning to standardise worldwide age, fed up with the a number of methods.
Source: www.9news.com.au
