한국어

Born in 2008

If you were born in 2008, you're 17 or 18 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Golden Rat.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age17 or 18
  • Korean age19
  • Year age18
    • The year 2008
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Rat
  • Sexagenary cycleMu-ja (戊子年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearLeap year
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Golden RatMu-ja (戊子年) · Earth (土)

In the sexagenary cycle, 2008 is Mu-ja (戊子年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Golden Rat (子).

Born 12 years apart - same Rat
1972age 541984age 421996age 302020age 6

The year you were born: 2008

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. February 10🔥 Sungnyemun, South Korea's National Treasure No. 1, had its two-story wooden structure destroyed by arson in an arson attack.
  2. February 25🏛️ Lee Myung-bak was sworn in as South Korea's 17th president.
  3. May 2🕯️ The first candlelight protest against imports of U.S. beef over mad cow disease was held.
  4. May 12🌏 A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Sichuan, China.
  5. July 11💔 Park Wang-ja, a tourist visiting Mount Kumgang, was shot by the Korean People's Army.
  6. August 23🥇 The national baseball team beat Cuba 3-2 in the Olympic final, taking gold with a perfect 9-0 run.
  7. September 15📉 Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in U.S. federal court.
  8. November 5🇺🇸 Democrat Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain in the U.S. presidential election.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Beethoven Virus"TV drama "Mom's Dead Upset"TV drama "On Air"Film "Scandal Makers"Film "The Chaser"Film "The Good, the Bad, the Weird"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsPaul Krugman (U.S.)
  • LiteratureJean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (France)
  • PhysicsMakoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Maskawa, Yoichiro Nambu (Japan)
  • Physiology or MedicineHarald zur Hausen (Germany), Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Luc Montagnier (France)
  • PeaceMartti Ahtisaari (Finland)
  • ChemistryMartin Chalfie, Roger Tsien (U.S.), Osamu Shimomura (Japan)

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 2008 🗓️

What someone born in 2008 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    2008Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2015Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2021Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2023Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    2024Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2025Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licenceThis year 🎉
    2026Age 18

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

  8. Can voteThis year 🎉
    2026Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobaccoUpcoming
    2027Year age 19

    From January 1 of the year you turn 19 - this one uses year age, not your birthday (Youth Protection Act).

  10. Legal adulthoodUpcoming
    2027Age 19

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

  11. Military service examinationUpcoming
    2027Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2068Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2073Age 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.

2008 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 2008.

Babies born in 2008

465,892babies

Then and now
  • When they were born465,892
  • Today (2025)468,145

There are more people registered now than were born that year. ✨

The resident register also counts people who became Korean citizens later, so it can run past the birth count.

  • Life expectancy at birth79.6 yrsMen 76.2 · Women 83Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.19Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth106.4106.4 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 2008 ⭐

Ella GrossSinger, ActorDecember 1, 2008 · 17 years old💛 Golden RatHyeinSinger, ModelApril 21, 2008 · 18 years old💛 Golden RatKim Si-aActorMay 6, 2008 · 18 years old💛 Golden RatChoi Myeong-beenActorApril 15, 2008 · 18 years old💛 Golden RatKim AsongActor, ModelSeptember 12, 2008 · 17 years old💛 Golden RatJuhoonSingerJanuary 3, 2008 · 18 years old💛 Golden RatMartinSinger, SongwriterMarch 20, 2008 · 18 years old💛 Golden Rat
Who else was born in 2008?Everyone born in 2008

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 2008 is 18 if they've already had their birthday this year and 17 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 19, and their year age is 18.
Counting from 2026, a 17-year-old was born in 2008.
2008 is the year of the Golden Rat. In the sexagenary cycle it's Mu-ja (戊子), 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. 2008 runs 366 days and February goes all the way to the 29th, so some people born in 2008 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 🌐