VOA新闻杂志2022--韩国将更改年龄计算法

South Koreans May Soon Be Considered One Year Younger

South Koreans may soon become at least one year younger in age.

Yoon Suk-yeol is set to become the country's next president next month. He has promised to end the country's special method of calculating age.

In the Korean system, all babies are already one year old the day they are born and get a year older every January 1. That means a child born December 31 would turn 2 years old the next day.

This traditional method of age calculation was once widely used across East Asia. But other countries long ago changed to the more internationally accepted system.

It is not fully¹ known how the traditional method developed. One theory says the system is meant to recognize the life of a fetus². Others say the system comes from ancient, numerical³ systems that did not include the idea of "zero."

South Korea in the past has attempted to move away from the traditional way of calculating age. But those efforts often led to misunderstandings.

As a result, South Korea now has three methods for calculating age. South Koreans must learn for themselves what method relates to which law or administrative⁴ process.

Since the 1960s, South Korean official documents and laws have used the international system, in which babies are born at age 0 and add a year every birthday.

However, in social settings, many South Koreans continued to calculate their age using the traditional method.

There is also the so-called, year-age method, in which babies are born at 0 and gain a year every January 1. This method is used to decide school grades and when males must perform their required military service.

According to a January public opinion study by Hankook Research, 71 percent of South Koreans support ending the traditional age system.

Those born later in the year often feel left behind, especially as children. That is because they are placed into classes at school with much older, more advanced students. This can add even more pressure to South Korea's highly competitive⁵ school environment.

Lee Yun-chul helps run an eatery in the northeastern province of Gangwon. She said her son, who is 9 years old according to the traditional system, is seen as a slow learner at school.

"But he's not actually slow," she said. "He was just born later [in October], compared to the other kids in his ‘year-age' group."

For Korean males, those who are born later in the year must complete their required military service many months earlier than others. Although the difference may seem small, it can affect important education or job-related decisions.

Most recently, many South Koreans became frustrated⁶ after health officials used differing age standards for coronavirus vaccinations⁸. As a result, many people were required to show proof of vaccination⁷ even though they were in an age group that could not yet get vaccinated⁹.

Yoon made ending the Korean age system a major campaign promise.

Under Yoon's proposal, international age would become the single standard for all legal and social purposes in South Korea. The effort would likely take some time to put in place.

Though similar attempts have failed in the past, experts say Yoon's proposal may succeed. The experts note the change has support among both major political parties as well as the South Korean public.

Words in This Story

calculate - v. to find (a number, answer, etc.) by using mathematical processes

advanced - adj. far along in a course of progress or development

frustrated - adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

3 numerical   

adj.数字的，用数字表示的，数值的

参考例句：

• The numbers are in numerical order.这些号码是按数字顺序排列的。
• Modern life is numerical.现代生活是数字化的。

4 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

5 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

6 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

8 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？