At Work, Saying 'Man-nai' Backfired with Sarcasm... The 'Real Age' Controversy

Even with the Unified Age Law, Counting Age Is Still Widely Used
"In the End, They End Up Repeating Their Birth Year," Complaints Arise

A story of an office worker who answered their age using 'international age' when asked at a new job and was met with sarcastic remarks has been revealed. Although the international age system has been in effect for about eight months, confusion over the 'real age' still persists throughout society. An online community post titled "What age system do you live by? International age or Korean age?" was uploaded.

The author, Mr. A, said, "I changed jobs this year, and at my new workplace, when someone asks my age, I answer using international age." He added, "At my previous job, I was 32 years old, but since the year changed and my birthday hasn't passed yet, I live by international age as 31." Mr. A explained, "I thought 31 was my real age according to the new law, so I casually told people I was 31. Recently, while talking about birth years with other employees, I found out there was a colleague the same age as me." He added, "That person was using Korean age, not international age, so I didn't realize we were the same age until now."

A story has been revealed about an office worker who answered a question about their age at a new job using the "international age" system and was met with a sarcastic remark, "Do you want to seem younger?" Although the international age system has been in effect for about eight months, confusion over the "real age" still persists in various parts of society. [Photo source=Pixabay]

After hearing this, other employees sarcastically asked Mr. A, "Did you want to look younger that badly?" which deepened his worries. Mr. A said, "Although I look young, I never wanted to be younger in age," and explained, "Since the international age system was implemented, I was just living by my 'real age' starting from the new year." He expressed his frustration. Finally, he asked netizens, "What age system are you living by now?" Various opinions emerged among netizens.

One netizen commented, "Since the international age system was implemented, I just say my birth year. That way, there’s no confusion and it’s straightforward." Another netizen said, "Now that it’s legally defined, shouldn’t we consciously try to use international age? I live by international age." On the other hand, one netizen expressed discomfort, saying, "Even if I answer with international age, I still have to mention my birth year again."

International age introduced, but 'Korean age' still widely used

On June 28 of last year, when the unified international age law was enacted, an employee at Songpa District Office in Seoul is posting a notice related to the law enforcement.
[Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@]

Despite the enforcement of the international age unification law, most of society still uses the 'counting age' system, which starts at one year old based on the birth date and adds one year every New Year's Day. In Korea, there are three commonly known age calculation methods: international age, year age, and counting age. Counting age adds one year every January 1st and is uniquely used only in Korea worldwide. Because of this, it is also called 'Korean Age.'

Year age is calculated by subtracting the birth year from the current year. Year age is not an official concept but is still used in some laws related to school enrollment age, alcohol and tobacco purchase, military service obligations, and civil service exam eligibility instead of international age.

According to a survey by SM C&C’s polling platform Tillion Pro conducted last October among 2,687 people aged 10 to 60, 36% of respondents, about one in three, said they use international age in daily life. Those who answered they use 'Korean age' accounted for 35.6%, which is close to the international age percentage, but more than 28% said they use year age, indicating that two-thirds of the population do not actually use international age.

Teenagers showed the highest rate of using counting age at 58%, which is double the rate of international age usage. In contrast, people in their 20s and 30s, who are starting social life and are at the typical age for dating and marriage, overwhelmingly used international or year age, which have the effect of making one appear younger. Those in their 40s and 50s, who mainly hold key roles in organizations, showed a higher usage rate of counting age, which gives an impression of seniority. Meanwhile, in their 60s, international age usage again took the lead.