한국어

Born in 1973

If you were born in 1973, you're 52 or 53 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Black Ox.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age52 or 53
  • Korean age54
  • Year age53
    • The year 1973
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Black Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleGye-chuk (癸丑年)
  • Five element Water (水)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Black OxGye-chuk (癸丑年) · Water (水)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1973 is Gye-chuk (癸丑年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Water (水), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Black Ox (丑).

Born 12 years apart - same Ox
1937age 891949age 771961age 651985age 411997age 292009age 17

The year you were born: 1973

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 27🕊️ The United States, South Vietnam and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace Accords.
  2. June 12💵 The 10,000-won banknote was issued for the first time.
  3. June 23🏛️ President Park Chung-hee announced the June 23rd Declaration on peaceful unification and foreign policy.
  4. August 8🚨 Kim Dae-jung was kidnapped.
  5. August 20🏺 Cheonmachong, an ancient royal tomb, was excavated in Gyeongju.
  6. September 11🪖 A military coup led by Augusto Pinochet toppled Salvador Allende's government in Chile.
  7. October 2🌊 The Soyanggang Multipurpose Dam was completed.
  8. December 3⛽ The oil crisis forced TV stations to suspend morning programming.
⭐ Born that year
Chan Ho Park, baseball playerJung Woo-sung, actorJeon Do-yeon, actorLim Chang-jung, actor and singerIchiro Suzuki, former Japanese baseball playerKim Sun-a, actor
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsWassily Leontief
  • LiteraturePatrick White
  • PhysicsLeo Esaki, Ivar Giaever, Brian David Josephson
  • Physiology or MedicineKarl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, Nikolaas Tinbergen
  • PeaceHenry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho
  • ChemistryErnst Otto Fischer

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1973 🗓️

What someone born in 1973 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1973Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1980Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1986Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1988Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    1989Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1990Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1991Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1991Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1992Year 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
    1992Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1992Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2033Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2038Age 65

    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.

1973 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1973.

Babies born in 1973

965,521babies

Then and now
  • When they were born965,521
  • Today (2025)878,065

91% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth63.5 yrsMen 59.7 · Women 67.3Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman4.07Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth104.6104.6 boys per 100 girls

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 1973 ⭐

Yunjin KimActorNovember 7, 1973 · 52 years old🖤 Black OxJeon Do-yeonActorFebruary 11, 1973 · 53 years old🖤 Black OxJung Woo-sungActor, ModelApril 22, 1973 · 53 years old🖤 Black OxKim Sun-aActorOctober 1, 1973 · 52 years old🖤 Black OxSong Yoon-ahActor, ModelJune 7, 1973 · 53 years old🖤 Black OxYoon Sang-hyunSinger, ActorSeptember 21, 1973 · 52 years old🖤 Black OxPark Seong-ungActorJanuary 9, 1973 · 53 years old🖤 Black OxYe Ji-wonActorFebruary 1, 1973 · 53 years old🖤 Black Ox
Who else was born in 1973?Everyone born in 1973

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1973 is 53 if they've already had their birthday this year and 52 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 54, and their year age is 53.
Counting from 2026, a 52-year-old was born in 1973.
1973 is the year of the Black Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gye-chuk (癸丑), 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.
No. 1973 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 🌐