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Born in 2009

If you were born in 2009, you're 16 or 17 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the Golden Ox.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age16 or 17
  • Korean age18
  • Year age17
    • The year 2009
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Golden Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleGi-chuk (己丑年)
  • Five element Earth (土)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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Golden OxGi-chuk (己丑年) · Earth (土)

In the sexagenary cycle, 2009 is Gi-chuk (己丑年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Earth (土), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the Golden Ox (丑).

Born 12 years apart - same Ox
1973age 531985age 411997age 292021age 5

The year you were born: 2009

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 20🏛️ Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
  2. January 20🔥 A fire broke out at a redevelopment site in Yongsan District 4, Seoul in Yongsan, Seoul.
  3. February 16🕊️ Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan died.
  4. May 23🕯️ Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea's 16th president, died after jumping from a hill near his home in Bongha Village.
  5. June 11😷 The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 flu outbreak a pandemic. It was the first pandemic declaration since 1968.
  6. June 25🎤 American pop singer Michael Jackson died.
  7. August 18💐 Kim Dae-jung, South Korea's 15th president, died.
  8. December 27⚛️ A consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation won a $20 billion contract to build nuclear power plants for the UAE.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Boys Over Flowers"TV drama "Iris"TV drama "Brilliant Legacy"TV drama "You're Beautiful"TV drama "The Sons of Sol Pharmacy House"TV drama "City Hall"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsElinor Ostrom, Oliver Williamson
  • LiteratureHerta Müller
  • PhysicsCharles Kao, Willard Boyle, George E. Smith
  • Physiology or MedicineElizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, Jack Szostak
  • PeaceBarack Obama
  • ChemistryAda Yonath, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 2009 🗓️

What someone born in 2009 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    2009Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2016Age 6 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2022Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2024Age 15

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

  5. Starts high school
    2025Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration cardThis year 🎉
    2026Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licenceUpcoming
    2027Age 18

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

  8. Can voteUpcoming
    2027Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobaccoUpcoming
    2028Year 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
    2028Age 19

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

  11. Military service examinationUpcoming
    2028Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2069Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2074Age 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.

2009 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 2009.

Babies born in 2009

444,849babies

Then and now
  • When they were born444,849
  • Today (2025)447,924

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 birth80 yrsMen 76.7 · Women 83.4Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.15Children 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 2009 ⭐

Heo YoolActorAugust 26, 2009 · 16 years old💛 Golden OxMoon Woo-jinActorFebruary 19, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden OxKim Kang-hoonActorJune 7, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden OxShin Rin-ahActorMay 14, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden OxNa Ha-eunSingerJanuary 16, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden OxKim Min-seoActorApril 18, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden OxLee Ro-woonActorSeptember 16, 2009 · 16 years old💛 Golden OxLee Han-seoActorFebruary 24, 2009 · 17 years old💛 Golden Ox
Who else was born in 2009?Everyone born in 2009

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 2009 is 17 if they've already had their birthday this year and 16 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 18, and their year age is 17.
Counting from 2026, a 16-year-old was born in 2009.
2009 is the year of the Golden Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gi-chuk (己丑), 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.
No. 2009 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 🌐