Everyone in South Korea just got a little bit younger! How? The government in this Asian country recently changed some rules.
Many of the 52 million people who live in South Korea had a tradition. The day a person was born, they were considered 1 year old. Then, no matter what day of the year they were born on, everyone turned one year older on New Year’s Day.
How did that work? Imagine a baby is born on December 31. The baby is 1 year old that day. The next day, on January 1, that baby would turn 2.
Some people in South Korea thought the system was too confusing. So on June 27, officials in South Korea passed a new law.
According to the new law, a person’s age will now be calculated like it is in the U.S. and most other countries. When babies are born, they are zero years old. People will get a year older only on their actual birthdays. Many South Korean kids who were 8 turned 7 when the new law went into effect!
Dig in to discover more about South Korea and the people who live there.