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Born in 1952

If you were born in 1952, you're 73 or 74 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Black Dragon.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age73 or 74
  • Korean age75
  • Year age74
    • The year 1952
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Black Dragon
  • Sexagenary cycleIm-jin (壬辰年)
  • Five element Water (水)
  • Leap yearLeap year
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Black DragonIm-jin (壬辰年) · Water (水)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1952 is Im-jin (壬辰年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Water (水), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Black Dragon (辰).

Born 12 years apart - same Dragon
1916age 1101928age 981940age 861964age 621976age 501988age 38

The year you were born: 1952

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 18🌊 South Korea announced the Peace Line, claiming sovereignty over its adjacent waters.
  2. February 6👑 Elizabeth II became queen of the United Kingdom.
  3. April 28🇯🇵 Japan regained its independence from U.S. occupation.
  4. May 25🚨 The Busan political crisis broke out, and martial law was declared in Busan and in South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla provinces.
  5. August 5🗳️ In the second presidential election, Syngman Rhee was elected president and Ham Tae-young vice president.
  6. October 15⛰️ The Battle of White Horse, one of the Korean War's fiercest fights, came to an end.
  7. November 1💥 The United States conducted its first hydrogen bomb test on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific.
  8. December 5🌫️ Smog blanketed London, killing more than 4,000 people by the time it lifted on December 9.
⭐ Born that year
Lee Soo-man, business executive and CEO of SM EntertainmentLee Nak-yon, journalist and politicianYang Hee-eun, singerKim Seung-youn, business executiveLee Yong-sik, comedianLiam Neeson, British actor
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • PhysicsFelix Bloch, Edward Mills Purcell

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1952 🗓️

What someone born in 1952 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1952Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1959Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1965Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1967Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1968Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1969Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1970Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1970Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1971Year 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
    1971Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1971Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement age
    2012Age 60

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

  13. National Pension starts
    2012Age 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.

1952 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1952.

People born in 1952, as of 2025

531,392people

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 1952 ⭐

Lee Soo-manSingerJune 18, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonAhn Sung-kiActorJanuary 1, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonLee Deok-hwaActorMay 8, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonJang GwangActorJanuary 5, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonAhn In-sookActorOctober 18, 1952 · 73 years old🖤 Black DragonYang Hee-eunSinger, SongwriterAugust 13, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonIm Ha-ryongActorOctober 31, 1952 · 73 years old🖤 Black DragonKim Duk-sooSingerSeptember 23, 1952 · 73 years old🖤 Black Dragon
Who else was born in 1952?Everyone born in 1952

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1952 is 74 if they've already had their birthday this year and 73 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 75, and their year age is 74.
Counting from 2026, a 73-year-old was born in 1952.
1952 is the year of the Black Dragon. In the sexagenary cycle it's Im-jin (壬辰), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Water (水), the animal picks up the color Black. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
Yes. 1952 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 1952 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 🌐