When are You a Grown-up? South Koreans Say "28"

Credit: Public domain.

Under South Korea’s Civil Act 민법, Koreans are legal adults at the age of 19. But most young Koreans do not feel that they are grownups until 28, according to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare 보건복지부. The MHW released this result at the first annual Future and Population Strategy Forum 미래와 인구전략 포럼 on February 22.

The period of “emerging adulthood 성인 이행기”, noted the MHW, is a common phenomenon in advanced industrialized countries, during which a person explores occupational stability and independence after his or her teenage years. The majority of the 2k young people between the ages of 18 and 34 who responded to the survey said 28 was the age at which they felt themselves to be adults. This result is consistent with the fact that the average South Korean man gets married at age 33.4, and the average woman at age 31.1.