(adapted from: park-won)

 

Short version:

 

You’re 1 year old when you’re born

You’re 1 year older every lunar new year

To count your age (if you’re born after lunar new year):

Current year - Your birth year + 1

To count your age (if you’re born before lunar new year):

Current year - Your birth year + 2

 

Long version:

 

Generally, Koreans use a separate age system to help organize relationships with other people because the noona/hyung/dongseng thing is really important in the social life in Korea. So they wanted a clear way to distinguish whether someone is a the same age, older, or younger. They also do go by the Western age system in legal documents and official stuff, but generally, the system I will explain is what Koreans in general go by.

 

To put it simply, Koreans consider themselves 1 years old when they’re born. My parents tell me it’s because they count the time you were in your mother’s womb, but that just makes it more confusing because that’s only 9 months. Anyways, after each lunar new year (around mid/end of February), you gain 1 year, and Koreans celebrate by having rice cake soup and declare themselves a year older. This is why some people born in different years can be the same age and some people born in the same year can actually be different ages.

 

For example: B.A.P’s Daehyun was born June 28 1993 (After lunar new year)

His Korean age: 2012 - 1993 + 1 = 20  

Youngjae was born January 24 1994 (Before lunar new year)

His Korean age: 2012 - 1994 + 2 = 20

So even though they are born in different years, they are the same age and graduated from school in the same year. That’s why they consider themselves “friends,” which is synonymous to same age in Korea.

 

B.A.P’s Jongup was born February 6 1995. Because he was born before the lunar new year, he is graduating with mostly ‘94 liners. That’s also why he took his college entrance exams this year.

 

[Edit:] Jongup was not born before the lunar new year. The lunar new year in 1995 was unusually fast. However, Koreans don’t strictly follow the date of the lunar new year when determining their age. The lunar new year is just a general date that is used as an explanation. The idea that most clearly defines it is their school year. The Korean school year starts in early March. The rule is if your birthday is before March 1st, you attend school with the kids born in the earlier year. That is why Jongup attends school with the ‘94 line and is the same “age” as them.

 

A different example: EXO’s Kai was born January 14 1994 (Before lunar new year)

His Korean age: 2012 - 1994 + 2 = 20

Sehun was born April 12 1994 (After lunar new year)

His Korean age: 2012 - 1994 + 1 = 19

That’s why even though Kai and Sehun were born in the same year, only 3 months apart, Sehun calls Kai hyung.