Born in 1978: Korean age in 2026

Someone born in 1978 is 48 in international age after their birthday in 2026 and 47 before it. In the old Korean counting age they would be 49, and their year age is 48. Korean law has long counted age in full years, and amendments effective June 28, 2023 made international age the explicit default in civil and administrative matters, so 48 (or 47 before the birthday) is the age that counts on paper. 1978 was the Year of the Horse (말띠) — though a birthday before Seollal (February 7, 1978) is sometimes counted as the Snake, the sign of 1977.

Three ways to count the age of someone born in 1978

Method	How it is counted	Age in 2026
International age (만 나이, man-nai)	0 at birth, +1 on each birthday. The explicit legal default since the June 28, 2023 amendments.	47 before birthday, 48 after
Year age (연 나이, yeon-nai)	2026 − 1978. Same for everyone born in 1978, birthday ignored.	48
Old Korean age (세는 나이, se-neun nai)	2026 − 1978 + 1. 1 at birth, +1 every January 1.	49

Counting from November 12, 2026: a person born in 1978 whose birthday falls between January 1 and November 12 has already turned 48 this year, and one born later in the year is still 47. When fans online say "Korean age", they usually mean the old counting age (49 here), which runs one or two years ahead of international age. For an exact answer on a specific date, enter the full birth date in the international age calculator.

Age of someone born in 1978, 2026–2030

Year	International age before birthday	International age after birthday	Year age	Old Korean age
2026	47	48	48	49
2027	48	49	49	50
2028	49	50	50	51
2029	50	51	51	52
2030	51	52	52	53

The old Korean age and year age go up together on January 1, while international age goes up on the birthday itself. That is why, between New Year and the birthday, the old Korean age is two years ahead of international age (49 vs 47 in 2026), and only one year ahead after the birthday.

Korean zodiac for 1978: Horse

In the 60-year sexagenary cycle, 1978 is the Muo year (무오년), the year of the Earth Horse. Koreans call the animal sign 띠 (tti), so a person born in 1978 is "말띠". The date on which the animal changes is not set by law; it is usually taken to be Seollal (설날), the lunar new year, while saju fortune-telling uses Ipchun (입춘) around February 4.

Seollal in 1978 fell on February 7. If you were born between January 1 and the day before that, you are sometimes counted as the Year of the Snake (1977) instead. The same animal returns every 12 years, so people born in 1966 and 1990 share the Horse sign. 2026 is also a Year of the Horse.

Milestones in Korea for people born in 1978

These years add the age set by Korean law to 1978. Early or delayed school entry, repeating a year or personal circumstances can change the real year, and where a system did not exist yet, the note says so.

Milestone	Year	As of 2026	Note
Elementary school entry	1985	Passed	For those born March–December. Under the old rule, January–February babies were eligible a year earlier (1984) and were called 빠른 년생 ("early-born"); some waited and entered in 1985.
Year age 19: may buy alcohol and tobacco	1997	Passed	Under the current Youth Protection Act (청소년 보호법) rule, a person is a minor while "current year − birth year" is under 19, so everyone born in 1978 reaches this on January 1 regardless of birthday. This uses today's rule; the rule in 1997 may have been different.
Military service examination (men)	1997	Passed	Then called the conscription examination; the age rule at that time may have differed.
National Pension old-age pension starts (age 65)	2043	In 17 years	The starting age depends on birth year (60 to 65). At least 10 years of contributions are required.

How Korean law counts age, and which rules still use year age, is explained on the Korean age by birth year page.

Frequently asked questions

How old is someone born in 1978 in Korean age?

In 2026, the old Korean counting age (세는 나이) of someone born in 1978 is 49. Their international age, the explicit legal default in Korea since the June 28, 2023 amendments, is 47 before their birthday and 48 after it, and their year age is 48.

What is the Korean zodiac animal for 1978?

1978 is the Year of the Horse (말띠), the Muo year (무오년) in the sexagenary cycle. Seollal in 1978 was on February 7, so if you were born before that date you are sometimes counted as the Snake instead.

Is Korean age still used in Korea?

Not officially. Korean law has long counted age in full years, and amendments effective June 28, 2023 made international age the explicit default in civil and administrative matters unless a law says otherwise. Some laws still use year age (current year − birth year), such as the Youth Protection Act for alcohol and tobacco and the Military Service Act, and the old counting age survives only in casual conversation.

When can someone born in 1978 buy alcohol in Korea?

Under the current Youth Protection Act rule, a person is a minor while "current year − birth year" is under 19. Someone born in 1978 has a year age of 48 in 2026, so this rule no longer applies to them.

← Born in 1977 · All birth years · Born in 1979 →

Sources

This is a reference summary; official guidance from the relevant institution takes precedence. The lunar new year dates come from Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute data; dates before 1962 may differ by one day because of the standard-time difference at the time.