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Born in 1937

If you were born in 1937, you're 88 or 89 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Red Ox.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age88 or 89
  • Korean age90
  • Year age89
    • The year 1937
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Red Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleJeong-chuk (丁丑年)
  • Five element Fire (火)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Red OxJeong-chuk (丁丑年) · Fire (火)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1937 is Jeong-chuk (丁丑年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Fire (火), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Red Ox (丑).

Born 12 years apart - same Ox
1901age 1251913age 1131925age 1011949age 771961age 651973age 53

Life timeline for people born in 1937 🗓️

What someone born in 1937 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1937Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1944Age 6 · elementary

    The March after turning 6 - Korean school years start in March, not September.

  3. Starts middle school
    1950Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1952Age 15

    Ages 13-14 can work only with an employment permit (Labor Standards Act).

  5. Starts high school
    1953Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1954Age 17

    Issued from the first day of the month after turning 17 (Resident Registration Act).

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1955Age 18

    Class 2 ordinary licence. Mopeds are allowed from 16 (Road Traffic Act).

  8. Can vote
    1955Age 18

    Must be 18 on election day (Public Official Election Act).

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1956Year age 19

    From January 1 of the year you turn 19 - this one uses year age, not your birthday (Youth Protection Act).

  10. Legal adulthood
    1956Age 19

    Adulthood begins on the 19th birthday (Civil Act, Article 4).

  11. Military service examination
    1956Year age 19

    Held in the year a man turns 19 (Military Service Act · year age · men only).

  12. Statutory retirement age
    1997Age 60

    The floor employers must set, not a fixed date (Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination · reference).

  13. National Pension starts
    1997Age 60

    Between 63 and 65 depending on your birth year, with at least 10 years of contributions (National Pension Act · reference).

Ages follow international age unless noted. Buying alcohol or tobacco and the military service examination use year age - the calendar year you turn that age - so they can land a year earlier than you expect. School entry, retirement and the National Pension are general rules and can differ case by case.

1937 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1937.

People born in 1937, as of 2025

134,486people

Source: Statistics Korea - Birth Statistics(1970~2025) and Life Tables(~2024); Ministry of the Interior and Safety - Resident Registration Population(as of 2025) (KOSIS)

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1937 is 89 if they've already had their birthday this year and 88 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 90, and their year age is 89.
Counting from 2026, a 88-year-old was born in 1937.
1937 is the year of the Red Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Jeong-chuk (丁丑), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Fire (火), the animal picks up the color Red. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
No. 1937 is a common year - 365 days, and February ends on the 28th.
Korean age starts at 1 the day you're born, and everybody adds a year together on January 1 instead of on their birthday. That makes it one or two years higher than international age. Since June 2023, Korean law, contracts, and official documents all use international age, but you'll still hear Korean age in everyday conversation.

Sources 🌐