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Born in 1997

If you were born in 1997, you're 28 or 29 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Red Ox.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age28 or 29
  • Korean age30
  • Year age29
    • The year 1997
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Red Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleJeong-chuk (丁丑年)
  • Five element Fire (火)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Red OxJeong-chuk (丁丑年) · Fire (火)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1997 is Jeong-chuk (丁丑年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Fire (火), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Red Ox (丑).

Born 12 years apart - same Ox
1961age 651973age 531985age 412009age 172021age 5

The year you were born: 1997

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. February 12🕊️ Hwang Jang-yop, the Workers' Party of Korea secretary in charge of international affairs, defected to South Korea.
  2. April 17⚖️ The Supreme Court sentenced former president Chun Doo-hwan to life in prison and ordered him to forfeit 220.5 billion won, and former president Roh Tae-woo to 17 years in prison and ordered him to forfeit 262.8 billion won.
  3. July 1🇭🇰 Britain handed Hong Kong back to China.
  4. August 6✈️ Korean Air Flight 801 crashed in Guam, killing 228 people and injuring 26.
  5. August 31🕯️ Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris, France.
  6. November 21🏦 The South Korean government asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout as the Asian financial crisis hit.
  7. December 19🗳️ Kim Dae-jung of the National Congress for New Politics won the presidential election, beating Lee Hoi-chang of the Grand National Party and Rhee In-je of the New Party by the People.
  8. December 22🔓 Former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were released under a special pardon that also restored their civil rights.
⭐ Born that year
Jungkook, singer (BTS)Rosé, singer (BLACKPINK)Yeo Jin-goo, actorMax Verstappen, Dutch racing driverLydia Ko, Korean-born New Zealand golferMalala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Star in My Heart"TV drama "You and I"TV drama "Model"Film "The Contact"Film "Beat"Film "No. 3"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsRobert C. Merton, Myron Scholes
  • LiteratureDario Fo
  • PhysicsSteven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips
  • Physiology or MedicineStanley B. Prusiner
  • PeaceJody Williams, International Campaign to Ban Landmines
  • ChemistryPaul D. Boyer, John E. Walker, Jens C. Skou

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1997 🗓️

What someone born in 1997 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1997Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2004Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2010Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2012Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    2013Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2014Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2015Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2015Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2016Year 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
    2016Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2016Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2057Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2062Age 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.

1997 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1997.

Babies born in 1997

675,394babies

Then and now
  • When they were born675,394
  • Today (2025)667,594

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

  • Life expectancy at birth74.7 yrsMen 70.7 · Women 78.7Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.54Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth108.2108.2 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 1997 ⭐

RoséSingerFebruary 11, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red OxJungkookSingerSeptember 1, 1997 · 28 years old❤️ Red OxCha Eun-wooSingerMarch 30, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red OxCho Mi-yeonSinger, ActorJanuary 31, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red OxYeo Jin-gooActorAugust 13, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red OxBang ChanSinger, SongwriterOctober 3, 1997 · 28 years old❤️ Red OxKwak Dong-yeonSinger, ActorMarch 19, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red OxJamieSingerJuly 5, 1997 · 29 years old❤️ Red Ox
Who else was born in 1997?Everyone born in 1997

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1997 is 29 if they've already had their birthday this year and 28 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 30, and their year age is 29.
Counting from 2026, a 28-year-old was born in 1997.
1997 is the year of the Red Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Jeong-chuk (丁丑), 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. 1997 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 🌐