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Born in 2002

A closer look at your age if you were born in 2002.

    Your age
  • International age23 or 24
  • Korean age25
  • Year age24
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Black Horse
  • Sexagenary cycleIm-o (壬午年)
  • Five element Water (水)
  • Leap yearCommon year
Other Horse years
1966age 59-601978age 47-481990age 35-362014age 11-122026age 0

Life timeline for people born in 2002 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    2002Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2009Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2015Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2017Age 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
    2018Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2019Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2020Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2020Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2021Year 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
    2021Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2021Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2062Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2067Age 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: 2002

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 1💶 The European Union officially put euro banknotes and coins into circulation.
  2. January 29🗣️ In his first State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush named North Korea, Iraq, and Iran an 'axis of evil'.
  3. June 13🕯️ Two middle school girls were crushed to death by an armored vehicle in Gwangjeok-myeon, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.
  4. June 22⚽ South Korea beat Spain 5-3 on penalties in the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals and moved on to the semifinals.
  5. June 29🚢 North and South Korean forces clashed in the Yellow Sea, leaving 6 South Korean sailors dead and 18 wounded. (Second Battle of Yeonpyeong)
  6. August 31🌀 Typhoon Rusa swept across the Korean Peninsula, leaving 246 people dead or missing and causing more than 5 trillion won in property damage.
  7. October 12💥 The Bali bombings in Indonesia killed 202 people and injured 209.
  8. December 19🗳️ Roh Moo-hyun won the 16th presidential election, beating Lee Hoi-chang of the Grand National Party.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Winter Sonata"TV drama "Rustic Period"TV drama "Ruler of Your Own World"Film "The Way Home"Film "Painted Fire"Film "Oasis"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

2002 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 2002496,911
  • Registered residents in 2025491,854

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

  • Life expectancy at birth76.8 yrsMen 73.4 · Women 80.3Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.18Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth109.9109.9 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 2002 ⭐

SamuelSingerJanuary 17, 2002 · 24 years oldNingningaespa · SingerOctober 23, 2002 · 23 years oldPark Sung-hoonENHYPEN · SingerDecember 8, 2002 · 23 years oldChoi Hyun-wookActorJanuary 30, 2002 · 24 years oldNattyKISS OF LIFE · Singer, DancerMay 30, 2002 · 24 years oldNam Da-reumActorJune 13, 2002 · 24 years oldKim Hwan-heeActorAugust 25, 2002 · 24 years oldBang Ye-damSingerMay 7, 2002 · 24 years old
Everyone born in 2002
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Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 2002 is 24 if they've already had their birthday this year and 23 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 25, and their year age is 24.
Counting from 2026, a 23-year-old was born in 2002.
2002 is the year of the Black Horse. In the sexagenary cycle it's Im-o (壬午), 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. 2002 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 🌐