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Born in 1957

If you were born in 1957, you're 68 or 69 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Red Rooster.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age68 or 69
  • Korean age70
  • Year age69
    • The year 1957
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Red Rooster
  • Sexagenary cycleJeong-yu (丁酉年)
  • Five element Fire (火)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Red RoosterJeong-yu (丁酉年) · Fire (火)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1957 is Jeong-yu (丁酉年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Fire (火), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Red Rooster (酉).

Born 12 years apart - same Rooster
1921age 1051933age 931945age 811969age 571981age 451993age 33

The year you were born: 1957

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 5🎓 Yonhi University merged with Severance Hospital and took the name Yonsei University.
  2. March 6🇬🇭 Ghana gained independence from Britain.
  3. March 25📜 The Treaty of Rome was signed.
  4. July 29☢️ The International Atomic Energy Agency was founded.
  5. August 31🇲🇾 Malaysia gained independence from Britain.
  6. September 9🗳️ The federal government moved to protect the voting rights of Black Americans in the United States.
  7. October 4🛰️ The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to reach Earth orbit.
  8. October 9📖 The Korean Language Society finished the six-volume Great Dictionary of the Korean Language, 30 years after work on it began.
⭐ Born that year
Osama bin Laden, former leader of al-Qaeda (d. 2011)Masayoshi Son, Japanese business executivePark Hang-seo, soccer playerHwang Kyo-ahn, politicianInsooni, singerShigeru Ishiba, Japanese politician and prime minister
🎬 Films and TV from that year
Film "Madame Freedom 2"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • LiteratureAlbert Camus
  • PhysicsYang Chen-Ning, Tsung-Dao Lee
  • Physiology or MedicineDaniel Bovet
  • PeaceLester Bowles Pearson
  • ChemistryAlexander Todd

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1957 🗓️

What someone born in 1957 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1957Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1964Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1970Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1972Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1973Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1974Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1975Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1975Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1976Year 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
    1976Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1976Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement age
    2017Age 60

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

  13. National Pension starts
    2019Age 62

    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.

1957 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1957.

People born in 1957, as of 2025

727,802people

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 1957 ⭐

Chang Mi-heeActorDecember 8, 1957 · 68 years old❤️ Red RoosterChoi Jung-wooActorFebruary 17, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterKim Gap-suActorApril 7, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterNoh Sa-yeonSinger, ActorMarch 3, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterInsooniSingerApril 5, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterSong Seung-whanActorJanuary 10, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterKim Jin-hiSinger, SongwriterFebruary 6, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red RoosterKim Gi-cheonActorJanuary 1, 1957 · 69 years old❤️ Red Rooster
Who else was born in 1957?Everyone born in 1957

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1957 is 69 if they've already had their birthday this year and 68 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 70, and their year age is 69.
Counting from 2026, a 68-year-old was born in 1957.
1957 is the year of the Red Rooster. In the sexagenary cycle it's Jeong-yu (丁酉), 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. 1957 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 🌐