Heung-Min Son is now one year younger following new laws implemented by South Korean authorities.
The Premier League and Tottenham forward is reportedly affected by the new age-counting system adopted by South Korean authorities.
According to reports, newly-elected South Korea President, Yoon Suk Yeol, led a campaign for a legal change in how age in South Korea is counted.
After a massive political campaign and support, the needed legal change in age-counting was effected and a law was passed on December reversing how age is counted for South Korea nationals everywhere in the world.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed the law has come into effect and will reverse age count for all South Korea citizens.
South Korean old age-counting system
Originally, South Koreans adopted a unique age-counting system for all new born. A child born in South Korea is taken to be a year older on the day of his birth. The age count takes effect right from the conception of the child not after birth.
The implication is that every South Korean is taken as a year older before birth.
Another slight departure from the age-counting system in South Korea was that all babies become a year older on January 1 of every year even if they were born in December.
These were the issues that the new South Korea President, Yoon Suk Yeol, sought to address with the new age-counting law set to align South Korean age-counting system to international standard.
Details of South Korea age-counting system
- Age counting start from conception
- South Korean nationals were also automatically one year older on January 1 every year even if they were born on December.
- New rules will align the age counting system to international standards where age counting starts after birth not before birth.
The South Korean age-counting system departs from international standards for age-counting where age counting starts after birth not at conception.
How South Korean New age-counting law will affect Heung-Min Son
In South Korea, Son’s age which was previously taken to be 31, will be reversed to 30 following the new law in place. In the UK, Son will still be a 30-year-old.
The UK adopts international standard of counting age where the age count is zero at birth. Tottenham reportedly registered Son’s birth as 8 July 1992 instead of 8 July 1991 in South Korea old age-counting system.
Hence, Son’s new age in South Korea will now align with UK and international standard age count which is 30 not 31. He will now be a year younger in his homeland.
The same applies to all footballers of South Korean origin such as Bayern Munich new signing from Napoli Kim Min-jae and Celtic star Hyun-Gyu Oh.
Heung-Min Son transfer news
Heung-Min Son has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia who are on rampage this summer, poaching big-name Premier League players to the Saudi League.
ESPN reports Al Ittihad, who have signed N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, were ready to sign Son with a lucrative £51m offer but Son rejected the offer.
Heung-Min Son who is one of the longest-serving players at Spurs has two years remaining in his Tottenham contract but have been linked with a move away from the club this summer after the club crashed out of all European football places on the Premier League table last season.
Despite Tottenham’s subpar campaign and dwindling Premier League fortunes, Heung-Min Son has dismissed reports linking him to an exit from the club.
He will continue with the club in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a big boost to his career after South Korea passed a controversial age law.
