Ali DealsAliExpress Deals한국어

Born in 1987

A closer look at your age if you were born in 1987.

    Your age
  • International age38 or 39
  • Korean age40
  • Year age39
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Red Rabbit
  • Sexagenary cycleJeong-myo (丁卯年)
  • Five element Fire (火)
  • Leap yearCommon year
Other Rabbit years
1951age 74-751963age 62-631975age 50-511999age 26-272011age 14-152023age 2-3

Life timeline for people born in 1987 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    1987Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1994Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2000Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2002Age 15

    Under 15, or under 18 and still in middle school, you need an employment permit (Labor Standards Act, Art. 64).

  5. Starts high school
    2003Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2004Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2005Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2005Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2006Year 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
    2006Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2006Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2047Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2052Age 65

    Between 63 and 65 depending on your birth year, with at least 10 years of contributions (National Pension Act · reference).

The year you were born: 1987

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 14🕯️ Park Jong-chul, a Seoul National University student, died while being tortured at the Namyeong-dong interrogation center.
  2. March 22⚖️ The Brothers Home case in Busan came to light.
  3. April 13🏛️ President Chun Doo-hwan announced the April 13 measure, declaring he would pick his successor under the existing constitution.
  4. June 10✊ The June Democratic Struggle began.
  5. June 29📢 Roh Tae-woo, then the ruling party's leader, announced the June 29 Declaration.
  6. July 5🎗️ Lee Han-yeol, who had been hit by a tear gas canister, died of his injuries.
  7. November 29✈️ Korean Air Flight 858 was blown up, killing all 115 people on board.
  8. December 16🗳️ Roh Tae-woo of the Democratic Justice Party won the 13th presidential election, beating Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Love and Ambition"TV drama "TV Art of War"Film "The Surrogate Woman"Film "Mimi and Cheolsu's Youth Sketch"Film "Our Joyful Young Days"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

1987 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 1987623,831
  • Registered residents in 2025615,866

99% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth70.1 yrsMen 65.9 · Women 74.3Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.53Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth108.8108.8 boys per 100 girls

Source: Statistics Korea birth statistics and life tables; Ministry of the Interior and Safety resident population(as of 2025)

Famous people born in 1987 ⭐

Lee Min-hoActorJune 22, 1987 · 39 years oldMoon Geun-youngActorMay 6, 1987 · 39 years oldHan Hyo-jooActorFebruary 22, 1987 · 39 years oldJi Chang-wookActorJuly 5, 1987 · 39 years oldT.O.PSingerNovember 4, 1987 · 38 years oldJang Keun-sukActorAugust 4, 1987 · 39 years oldSeo In-gukSingerOctober 23, 1987 · 38 years oldJay ParkSinger, ActorApril 25, 1987 · 39 years old
Everyone born in 1987
Was this page helpful?

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1987 is 39 if they've already had their birthday this year and 38 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 40, and their year age is 39.
Counting from 2026, a 38-year-old was born in 1987.
1987 is the year of the Red Rabbit. In the sexagenary cycle it's Jeong-myo (丁卯), 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. 1987 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 🌐