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Born in 1968

If you were born in 1968, you're 57 or 58 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Golden Monkey.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age57 or 58
  • Korean age59
  • Year age58
    • The year 1968
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Monkey
  • Sexagenary cycleMu-sin (戊申年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearLeap year
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Golden MonkeyMu-sin (戊申年) · Earth (土)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1968 is Mu-sin (戊申年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Golden Monkey (申).

Born 12 years apart - same Monkey
1932age 941944age 821956age 701980age 461992age 342004age 22

The year you were born: 1968

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 21🚨 North Korean commandos tried and failed to raid the Blue House, South Korea's presidential residence, in what's known as the January 21 Incident.
  2. January 23🚢 North Korea seized the USS Pueblo and its crew.
  3. April 30⛪ Archbishop Kim Sou-hwan was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
  4. May 3✊ Protests by students at the Sorbonne set off the May 1968 uprising in Paris, France.
  5. August 20🚜 Soviet troops and forces from five Warsaw Pact countries invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring.
  6. October 12🏅 The 19th Olympic Games opened in Mexico City.
  7. October 30🪖 North Korean commandos infiltrated the Uljin and Samcheok areas.
  8. December 5📜 The Charter of National Education was proclaimed and distributed nationwide.
⭐ Born that year
Choi Jin-sil, actor (d. 2008)Shin Hae-chul, singer (d. 2014)Lee Jae-yong, business executiveKim Gun-mo, singerHwang Sun-hong, former soccer player and soccer coachChoi Kyung-ju, golfer
🎬 Films and TV from that year
Film "Love Me Once Again"Film "The General's Mustache"Film "Holiday"Film "The Eunuch"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • LiteratureYasunari Kawabata
  • PhysicsLuis Alvarez
  • Physiology or MedicineRobert Holley, Marshall Nirenberg, Har Gobind Khorana
  • PeaceRené Cassin
  • ChemistryLars Onsager

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1968 🗓️

What someone born in 1968 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1968Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1975Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1981Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1983Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1984Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1985Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1986Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1986Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1987Year 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
    1987Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1987Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2028Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2032Age 64

    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.

1968 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1968.

People born in 1968, as of 2025

902,554people

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 1968 ⭐

Daniel Dae KimActorAugust 4, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeyChae Shi-raActor, ModelJune 25, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeySul Kyung-guActorMay 1, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeyKim Yun-seokActorJanuary 21, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeyShin Hae-chulSinger, ActorMay 6, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeyOh Dal-suActorJune 15, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden MonkeyLee Seung-yeonActorAugust 18, 1968 · 57 years old💛 Golden MonkeyKim Gun-moSinger, SongwriterJanuary 13, 1968 · 58 years old💛 Golden Monkey
Who else was born in 1968?Everyone born in 1968

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1968 is 58 if they've already had their birthday this year and 57 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 59, and their year age is 58.
Counting from 2026, a 57-year-old was born in 1968.
1968 is the year of the Golden Monkey. In the sexagenary cycle it's Mu-sin (戊申), 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. 1968 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 1968 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 🌐