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Every person in South Korea suddenly becomes a year younger (news.sky.com)

submitted 2 years ago by eggie@kbin.social to c/news@kbin.social

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The international system replaces one of the country's two traditional methods, where people are deemed to be a year old at birth - taking into account time spent in the womb.

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[–] gaun@kbin.social 5 points 2 years ago (6 children)

They count the time you are in the womb as one year. So you're already one year old when you are born.

[–] GlyphOfAdBlocking@kbin.social 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

I've seen no evidence of counting time in the womb. I have seen lots of non-Koreans spreading the belief around.

What happens is the moment you are born you are 1 in Old Korea Counting (OKC). 0 international.

On January 1 you are 2 in OKC and 0 international.

On your 1st birthday you are 2 in OKC and 1 international.

On the next January 1 you are 3 OKC and 1 international.

And so forth.

Source: 2 decades in Korea, Korean spouse who is happy to be younger, and a Korean child who is very disappointed to be younger. When our child was born we didn't say they were 9 months (OKC), they were 1(OKC).

It has been explained to me as "counting the years you have been alive during".

[–] i_need_a_vacation@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Sorry if it's a silly question, but if a child is born on december 31 just a minute before the new year, could he be 2 before the mother gets to hold him then?

[–] KIM_JONG_JUICEBOX@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

That’s what it sounds like to me…

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