Survey: Korean Age Awareness

Being asked your age is never complicated — unless you are Korean. An average Korean would have an international age and Korean age. Therefore, most Koreans celebrate two birthdays every year. In particular, ‘eumnyeok saeng-il’ is the Korean birthday.

Koreans can be one or two years older than the standard age system recognized globally. This is due to an aging system based on the Lunar New Year. Moreover, this cultural practice in age counting can be traced back to ancient China. However, only Korea kept this tradition alive today.

Specifically, due to its cultural significance, ‘eumnyeok saeng-il’ is considered to be more important than ‘yangnyeok saeng-il,’ the actual day of birth. Nonetheless, Korean society recognizes both. However, they are used in different settings where appropriate. Hence, this causes confusion to not only foreigners but also among Koreans themselves.

Presently, more Koreans believe to adapt to the international age system — abandoning the widely accepted Korean age system within the community. We seek the South Korean people’s opinions through the Real Research survey app.

All Korean participants who finished the survey will get 10 TNC Coins as rewards. The survey will be open to South Korean respondents only for a limited time. We encourage our Korean respondents to join the survey that will be published on January 11.