한국어

Born in 1990

If you were born in 1990, you're 35 or 36 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the White Horse.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age35 or 36
  • Korean age37
  • Year age36
    • The year 1990
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)White Horse
  • Sexagenary cycleGyeong-o (庚午年)
  • Five element Metal (金)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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White HorseGyeong-o (庚午年) · Metal (金)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1990 is Gyeong-o (庚午年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Metal (金), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the White Horse (午).

Born 12 years apart - same Horse
1954age 721966age 601978age 482002age 242014age 122026age 0

The year you were born: 1990

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 22🏛️ President Roh Tae-woo announced that the Democratic Justice Party, the Reunification Democratic Party, and the New Democratic Republican Party would merge.
  2. February 11✊ Nelson Mandela walked free from prison in South Africa.
  3. April 24🔭 The United States launched the Hubble Space Telescope.
  4. May 22🖥️ Windows 3.0 was released.
  5. August 2💥 The Gulf War began as Iraq invaded Kuwait.
  6. September 30🤝 South Korea and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations, normalizing ties after 85 years.
  7. October 3🇩🇪 East and West Germany reunified after 41 years of division.
  8. October 13🚨 President Roh Tae-woo declared war on crime.
⭐ Born that year
Kim Yuna, figure skaterYoona, singer (Girls' Generation)Park Bo-young, actorPark Shin-hye, actorKim Tae-ri, actorJennifer Lawrence, American actor
🎬 Films and TV from that year
Film "The General's Son"Film "North Korean Partisan in South Korea"Film "My Love, My Bride"TV drama "Seoul Ttukbaegi"TV drama "Years of Ambition"TV drama "Love Blooms on the Jujube Tree"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsHarry Markowitz, Merton Miller, William Sharpe
  • LiteratureOctavio Paz
  • PhysicsJerome I. Friedman, Henry W. Kendall, Richard E. Taylor
  • Physiology or MedicineJoseph E. Murray, E. Donnall Thomas
  • PeaceMikhail Gorbachev
  • ChemistryElias James Corey

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1990 🗓️

What someone born in 1990 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1990Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1997Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2003Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2005Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    2006Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2007Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2008Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2008Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2009Year 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
    2009Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2009Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2050Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2055Age 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.

1990 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1990.

Babies born in 1990

649,738babies

Then and now
  • When they were born649,738
  • Today (2025)638,635

98% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth71.7 yrsMen 67.5 · Women 75.9Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.57Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth116.5116.5 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 1990 ⭐

Kim Jong-hyunSingerApril 8, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorseIm Yoon-ahSingerMay 30, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorsePark Shin-hyeActorFebruary 18, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorsePark Bo-gumActorJune 16, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorseXiuminSingerMarch 26, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorseSooyoungSingerFebruary 10, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White HorseSeungriSingerDecember 12, 1990 · 35 years old🤍 White HorseGo AraActorFebruary 11, 1990 · 36 years old🤍 White Horse
Who else was born in 1990?Everyone born in 1990

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1990 is 36 if they've already had their birthday this year and 35 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 37, and their year age is 36.
Counting from 2026, a 35-year-old was born in 1990.
1990 is the year of the White Horse. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gyeong-o (庚午), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Metal (金), the animal picks up the color White. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
No. 1990 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 🌐