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Born in 1949

If you were born in 1949, you're 76 or 77 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Golden Ox.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age76 or 77
  • Korean age78
  • Year age77
    • The year 1949
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleGi-chuk (己丑年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Golden OxGi-chuk (己丑年) · Earth (土)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1949 is Gi-chuk (己丑年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Golden Ox (丑).

Born 12 years apart - same Ox
1913age 1131925age 1011937age 891961age 651973age 531985age 41

The year you were born: 1949

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 21🏛️ Chiang Kai-shek stepped down as president of the Republic of China, and Vice President Li Zongren took over as acting president.
  2. April 4🛡️ The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded.
  3. May 24🇩🇪 The Basic Law took effect, creating the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).
  4. June 26😢 Kim Ku was assassinated by Ahn Doo-hee, an army second lieutenant.
  5. August 29☢️ The Soviet Union pulled off its first successful atomic bomb test.
  6. September 22⚖️ South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill dissolving the Special Committee for Investigating Anti-National Activities, the body prosecuting people who had collaborated with Japan during its colonial rule.
  7. October 1🇨🇳 The People's Republic of China was founded.
  8. October 7🚩 The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was founded.
⭐ Born that year
Kim Soo-mi, actorMeryl Streep, American actorHaruki Murakami, Japanese novelistHan Duck-soo, civil servant and politicianJeon Yu-sung, comedianBernard Arnault, French business executive
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • LiteratureWilliam Faulkner
  • PhysicsHideki Yukawa
  • Physiology or MedicineWalter Rudolf Hess, António Egas Moniz
  • PeaceJohn Boyd Orr

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1949 🗓️

What someone born in 1949 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1949Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1956Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1962Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1964Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1965Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1966Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1967Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1967Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1968Year 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
    1968Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1968Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement age
    2009Age 60

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

  13. National Pension starts
    2009Age 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.

1949 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1949.

People born in 1949, as of 2025

401,141people

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

Famous people born in 1949 ⭐

Kim Su-miActorSeptember 3, 1949 · 76 years old💛 Golden OxPark Won-sookActorJanuary 19, 1949 · 77 years old💛 Golden OxYoon Joo-sangActorJune 25, 1949 · 77 years old💛 Golden OxJung Dong-hwanActorAugust 5, 1949 · 77 years old💛 Golden OxAhn Sook-sunSinger, ActorSeptember 5, 1949 · 76 years old💛 Golden OxJang Sa-ikSingerJanuary 1, 1949 · 77 years old💛 Golden OxOh Soo-miActorOctober 3, 1949 · 76 years old💛 Golden OxHeo ChamSinger, TV hostNovember 30, 1949 · 76 years old💛 Golden Ox
Who else was born in 1949?Everyone born in 1949

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1949 is 77 if they've already had their birthday this year and 76 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 78, and their year age is 77.
Counting from 2026, a 76-year-old was born in 1949.
1949 is the year of the Golden Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gi-chuk (己丑), 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.
No. 1949 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 🌐