Why the Korean Age System is Crazy

Why is it that a baby born on Dec. 30, 2017 in South Korea turns two years old, just two days later? Welcome to the crazy system of ‘Korean age.’ This is how it works: A baby is one year old at birth, and gains an additional year on Jan. 1 (not on birthdays). This method is called the ‘counting age’ system (saeneun nayi) in Korean; it originated from China centuries ago and spread to various parts of Asia, although it’s not quite clear why this system arose. Some say that the culture of respect