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Born in 2008

A closer look at your age if you were born in 2008.

    Your age
  • International age17 or 18
  • Korean age19
  • Year age18
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Rat
  • Sexagenary cycleMu-ja (戊子年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearLeap year
Other Rat years
1972age 53-541984age 41-421996age 29-302020age 5-6

Life timeline for people born in 2008 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    2008Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2015Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2021Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2023Age 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
    2024Age 15-16 · 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).

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"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

2008 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 2008465,892
  • Registered residents in 2025468,145

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 and life tables; Ministry of the Interior and Safety resident population(as of 2025)

Famous people born in 2008 ⭐

Ella GrossMEOVV · Singer, ActorDecember 1, 2008 · 17 years oldHyeinNewJeans · Singer, ModelApril 21, 2008 · 18 years oldKim Si-aActorMay 6, 2008 · 18 years oldChoi Myeong-beenActorApril 15, 2008 · 18 years oldChoi Seung-hoonActorMay 1, 2008 · 18 years oldRoraBabyMonster · SingerAugust 14, 2008 · 18 years oldIrohaIllit · SingerFebruary 4, 2008 · 18 years oldMartinCORTIS · Singer, SongwriterMarch 20, 2008 · 18 years old
Everyone born in 2008
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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 🌐