Arguing for the Abolition of the Korean Age System
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do” supports the argument against abolishing the Korean age system. Unlike the rest of the world, Koreans consider the time spent in the womb as one year. Therefore, people born in 2000 could be 23, depending on when their birthdays fall. When I first introduced myself to my foreign friends, it was hard calculating my age due to this tradition. Furthermore, “Korean age” is not legally recognized even in Korea. We should use our “international age” on official documents. Although Korean age can be considered a tradition, it is clear that it is impractical. In addition, Koreans use the lunar and solar calendars. The Korean age system uses the lunar calendar, but the solar calendar is used in everyday life because it is the international standard. Korea, until modern times, experienced countless wars and had to protect its culture. I believe this is why we have kept the Korean age system. However, times have changed. We now live in the era of globalization. Although we should remember we have a unique age system, we should use the international age standard for our official age system to prevent further confusion. Like many traditions, our Korean ages can be remembered for fun on special occasions like Chuseok and Seollal. By doing so, we would be able to maintain our identity but be more practical in our everyday lives.
School of Business, Chan Young Jeon
I oppose abolishing the "Korean age" system.
I oppose abolishing the "Korean age" system. I heard that the next president, Yoon Suk-yeol, is trying to do this. He insists it is the first step to moving forward in a globalized world. It means that once we start to count age the same way as other countries like the US or the UK, we will not need to explain to foreigners why the age of Koreans is different. Also, we can eliminate an unnecessary Confucian culture. Apparently, there are many more disadvantages than advantages of this custom; however, there are three reasons I am against the change.
First, Korean age is an inherent, traditional Korean culture. For example, when we meet new people in certain informal settings, we often ask them their age. If they are older, we treat them more politely. In contrast, if they are younger, and if we feel we are allowed to, we tend to feel more comfortable since there is no requirement to use honorifics and other language forms deemed appropriate to the situation at hand. We have become accustomed to using Korean ages and treating people based on their age, so it is hard to change this habit. A different age system would therefore likely be difficult to apply, resulting in much confusion.
Second, Korean age respects a fetus. In Korea, when a baby is born, they are already considered one year old. In other words, even though a fetus is not a completely formed human, it is respected as a person as its age is counted before birth. In my opinion, this is a beautiful, heartwarming way of thinking. I am worried that people might undervalue an unborn child should Korean age be abolished.
Lastly, applying a different age system will confuse many people. For instance, if someone was born in January 2001, he or she can be friends with someone born in 2000 or 2001 when considering international age. If the president-elect abolishes Korean age, this will cause problems since “my friends” may no longer be my “friends.” I may have to change the way I call them following the new law.
In conclusion, I do not think we need to standardize age in Korea with the rest of the world.
Faculty of Liberal Arts, Kim Jin sun