The interesting ways Korea counts age

Article: "They were born on the same day at the same time..." but one is two years old, one is zero years old?

Source: Money Today via Naver

Article is a summary of the confusing way age is counted in Korea and the way it divides who is higher or lower status when it comes to relationships.

The first concept is 'early year', where if you're born in an earlier month of the year, like February 1989, you'd be considered to be in the same age group as 1988ers and technically older than anyone born in the later months of the same year as you. This especially affects what year students are placed in and who becomes your senior/junior. Someone the same age as you could still be your senior or junior depending on 'early year'.

The second concept is counting the year you were in the womb and automatically being one when you're born. A child born on December 31st in Korea would become two years in old on January 1st because they were one when they were born and the new year counts as an entire year even though his birthday hasn't passed yet.

The system is being criticized lately because younger and younger people are using it as a way to establish power over their peers, even counting down to the differences in months. .

1. [+4,797, -372] I really don't understand why we have the 'early year' concept, someone please explain ㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+3,979, -195] The product of a Confucianism culture where people believe being older equals power

3. [+3,284, -114] I'm one of those 'early years' but once you actually work in society, none of that matters

4. [+2,769, -145] I really don't get why we have 'early years'

5. [+510, -32] I don't know why we can't just determine age by the year we were born in

6. [+365, -32] 'Early years' are in a tough spot because you don't know whether to speak formally or informally to your peers...

7. [+331, -10] This age concept makes it so hard to make friends... Foreigners just treat everyone on one level as equal friends but Koreans have to treat hyungs differently, friends differently, just too much to consider.

8. [+337, -15] The concept is so messed up. Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart.

9. [+216, -11] The 'early years' really messes me up... Since my juniors are technically the same age as me but they're still my juniors... it's just a messy situation.

10. [+198, -15] Yeah, I never know whether to call someone born in the same year as me but considered an 'early year' hyung or not...

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