한국어

Born in 2004

If you were born in 2004, you're 21 or 22 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Blue Monkey.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age21 or 22
  • Korean age23
  • Year age22
    • The year 2004
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Blue Monkey
  • Sexagenary cycleGap-sin (甲申年)
  • Five element Wood (木)
  • Leap yearLeap year
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Blue MonkeyGap-sin (甲申年) · Wood (木)

In the sexagenary cycle, 2004 is Gap-sin (甲申年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Wood (木), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Blue Monkey (申).

Born 12 years apart - same Monkey
1968age 581980age 461992age 342016age 10

The year you were born: 2004

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. March 11💥 Al-Qaeda carried out coordinated bombings at Atocha station in Madrid, Spain.
  2. March 12🏛️ The National Assembly passed a motion to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun, suspending him from office.
  3. April 1🚄 KTX high-speed rail service began, and the Tongil-ho train made its last run.
  4. May 14⚖️ The Constitutional Court threw out the impeachment motion, and Roh Moo-hyun returned to office.
  5. June 22🕯️ Kim Sun-il, who had been kidnapped in Iraq, was killed by the armed group holding him.
  6. July 18🚨 Serial killer Yoo Young-chul was arrested.
  7. September 1🏫 Chechen rebels took hostages at a school in Beslan, Russia, leaving more than 1,000 people dead or injured.
  8. December 26🌊 A huge earthquake and tsunami struck the Indian Ocean.
⭐ Born that year
Jang Won-young, singer (IZ*ONE, IVE)Hanni, Australian-born South Korean singerShin Yu-bin, table tennis playerYunchan Lim, pianistKim Je-deok, archerYou Young, figure skater
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Lovers in Paris"TV drama "Full House"TV drama "I'm Sorry, I Love You"Film "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War"Film "Once Upon a Time in High School"Film "A Moment to Remember"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsFinn Kydland, Edward Prescott
  • LiteratureElfriede Jelinek
  • PhysicsDavid Gross, David Politzer, Frank Wilczek
  • Physiology or MedicineRichard Axel, Linda Buck
  • PeaceWangari Maathai
  • ChemistryIrwin Rose, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 2004 🗓️

What someone born in 2004 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    2004Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2011Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2017Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2019Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    2020Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2021Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2022Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2022Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2023Year 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
    2023Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2023Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2064Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2069Age 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.

2004 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 2004.

Babies born in 2004

476,958babies

Then and now
  • When they were born476,958
  • Today (2025)471,552

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

  • Life expectancy at birth77.8 yrsMen 74.3 · Women 81.2Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.16Children 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 2004 ⭐

Jang Won-youngSingerAugust 31, 2004 · 21 years old💙 Blue MonkeyAhn Seo-hyunActorJanuary 12, 2004 · 22 years old💙 Blue MonkeyAhn Ji-hoActorJanuary 5, 2004 · 22 years old💙 Blue MonkeyLizSingerNovember 21, 2004 · 21 years old💙 Blue MonkeyMinjiSinger, ModelMay 7, 2004 · 22 years old💙 Blue MonkeyJiniSinger, ActorApril 16, 2004 · 22 years old💙 Blue MonkeyKim Chae-yeonSinger, ActorDecember 4, 2004 · 21 years old💙 Blue MonkeyLee Jae-inActorFebruary 6, 2004 · 22 years old💙 Blue Monkey
Who else was born in 2004?Everyone born in 2004

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 2004 is 22 if they've already had their birthday this year and 21 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 23, and their year age is 22.
Counting from 2026, a 21-year-old was born in 2004.
2004 is the year of the Blue Monkey. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gap-sin (甲申), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Wood (木), the animal picks up the color Blue. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
Yes. 2004 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 2004 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 🌐