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Born in 1988

A closer look at your age if you were born in 1988.

    Your age
  • International age37 or 38
  • Korean age39
  • Year age38
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Dragon
  • Sexagenary cycleMu-jin (戊辰年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearLeap year
Other Dragon years
1952age 73-741964age 61-621976age 49-502000age 25-262012age 13-142024age 1-2

Life timeline for people born in 1988 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    1988Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1995Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2001Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2003Age 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
    2004Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2005Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2006Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2006Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2007Year 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
    2007Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2007Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2048Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2053Age 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: 1988

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 1🏗️ The Soviet Union began perestroika under Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
  2. February 25🏛️ Roh Tae-woo was sworn in as South Korea's 13th president.
  3. April 26🗳️ South Korea held its 13th National Assembly election.
  4. July 7🤝 The July 7 Declaration was issued.
  5. August 20🕊️ The cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq War took effect.
  6. September 17🏅 The Seoul Olympics, the 24th Summer Games, opened.
  7. October 8🚨 Ji Kang-heon and 11 others escaped during a transfer from Yeongdeungpo Prison to Gongju Prison.
  8. November 23📢 Former president Chun Doo-hwan issued a public apology for corruption during his time in office and left for Baekdamsa temple.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Sandcastle"TV drama "Queen Inhyeon"Film "Chilsu and Mansu"Film "Adada"Film "You, the Hollyhock"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

1988 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 1988633,092
  • Registered residents in 2025624,003

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

  • Life expectancy at birth70.7 yrsMen 66.5 · Women 74.8Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.55Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth113.2113.2 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 1988 ⭐

Kim Soo-hyunActorFebruary 16, 1988 · 38 years oldG-DragonBigBang · SingerAugust 18, 1988 · 38 years oldPark Seo-joonActorDecember 16, 1988 · 37 years oldHahm Eun-jungT-ara · Singer, ActorDecember 12, 1988 · 37 years oldTaeyangBigBang · SingerMay 18, 1988 · 38 years oldOk Taec-yeon2PM · Singer, ActorDecember 27, 1988 · 37 years oldCho KyuhyunSuper Junior · Singer, ActorFebruary 3, 1988 · 38 years oldJessiSinger, SongwriterDecember 17, 1988 · 37 years old
Everyone born in 1988
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Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1988 is 38 if they've already had their birthday this year and 37 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 39, and their year age is 38.
Counting from 2026, a 37-year-old was born in 1988.
1988 is the year of the Golden Dragon. In the sexagenary cycle it's Mu-jin (戊辰), 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. 1988 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 1988 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 🌐