“I am very happy, because I am now two years younger than I was yesterday,” said one Korean man.
South Korea has just decided to stop using a traditional East Asian system for counting a person’s age. Until this change, Koreans were considered to be one year old at birth, to account for the time spent in the womb. And, instead of getting a year older on their birthday, Koreans were considered to get a year older every time the calendar reached January 1st. Thus, someone born on December 31st was considered to be two years old a day after they were born.
South Korea now joins other East Asian nations in switching to the more internationally standard system of starting at age zero, and adding a year every time the calendar reaches your birthday. Japan switched to the international system in 1950.
I just pity the poor person who was happily going to night-clubs, drinking alcohol, and having all of the fun available to an adult yesterday, who is now two years younger. Put that cocktail down, son. It’s not a drink for children.
Vocabulary:
the womb – the part of a woman’s body in which a child grows, before it is born
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