New legislation has been implemented in South Korea, requiring the adoption of the "international age" system in all judicial and administrative areas. 

This decision puts an end to the long-standing debate surrounding the use of the "Korean age"  or the "international age," which has caused numerous issues. 

Lee Wan Kyu, the Minister of Government Legislation, stated during a news briefing on Monday that standardizing ages will help in reducing various social confusions and disputes. 

The law, which was passed by South Korea's Parliament in December 2022, is also expected to significantly diminish unnecessary social costs resulting from the mixed use of age standards. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who assumed office in May, had made this a prominent commitment.

Before this new legislation, there were three systems of counting age - the age, known as "international age," calculated according to one's birthday, the age according to the birth year, and the "Korean age" which is exclusively used in Korea (a person is one at birth and then gains a year on January 1).

More specifically, the "International age" is the global calculation method used by most other countries in which a person calculates their age according to their birthday. The other method is counting according to the year, where an individual calculates their age only using the birth year, regardless of the month they are born in, and a year is added every January 1. Then the Korean age is used by Korean society and adds one more year to your age in the new year.

For example, Psy, the singer behind the famous song "Gangnam Style," was born on December 31, 1977. According to the international age system, he is considered 45 years old. However, based on the birth year age system, he is considered 46 years old, and according to the Korean age system, he is considered 47 years old.

Until now, South Korea has been using all three age counting systems in various fields, causing much confusion in various administrative areas. Under the new law, there will be some uniformity when considering age.

Although the old system will be used in certain circumstances, the standardized international age will be used in most administration purposes.