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Born in 1948

If you were born in 1948, you're 77 or 78 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Golden Rat.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age77 or 78
  • Korean age79
  • Year age78
    • The year 1948
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Rat
  • Sexagenary cycleMu-ja (戊子年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearLeap year
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Golden RatMu-ja (戊子年) · Earth (土)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1948 is Mu-ja (戊子年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Golden Rat (子).

Born 12 years apart - same Rat
1912age 1141924age 1021936age 901960age 661972age 541984age 42

The year you were born: 1948

Here's what the world was up to that year 👀

📰 What happened that year
  1. April 3🕯️ The Jeju April 3 Incident began - an uprising on Jeju Island and the long crackdown that followed.
  2. May 10🗳️ Southern Korea held its first general election to form the Constituent National Assembly.
  3. May 14🇮🇱 Israel was founded.
  4. July 17📜 South Korea’s first constitution was promulgated, naming the country the Republic of Korea.
  5. August 15🏛️ The government of the Republic of Korea was established.
  6. September 9🚩 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established, with Kim Il-sung as premier.
  7. October 19💥 The Yeosu-Suncheon Incident began with a military mutiny in the two southern cities.
  8. December 10🕊️ The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
⭐ Born that year
Samuel L. Jackson, American actor and film producerAl Gore, American politicianOzzy Osbourne, British singerLee In-je, member of the National AssemblyChung Kyung-wha, violinistJean Reno, French actor
🎬 Films and TV from that year
Film "A Public Prosecutor and a Teacher"Film "Yu Gwan-sun"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1948 🗓️

What someone born in 1948 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1948Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1955Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1961Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1963Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1964Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1965Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1966Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1966Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1967Year 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
    1967Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1967Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement age
    2008Age 60

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

  13. National Pension starts
    2008Age 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.

1948 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1948.

People born in 1948, as of 2025

391,994people

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 1948 is 78 if they've already had their birthday this year and 77 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 79, and their year age is 78.
Counting from 2026, a 77-year-old was born in 1948.
1948 is the year of the Golden Rat. In the sexagenary cycle it's Mu-ja (戊子), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), the animal picks up the color Golden. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
Yes. 1948 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 1948 only get a real birthday every four years.
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 🌐