In South Korea, 7th graders are typically 12 to 13 years old (Western age), starting middle school (grades 7-9) at around age 12 or 13 after elementary school, with the school year beginning in March. They'd be considered 13 or 14 in the traditional Korean age system, as everyone gains a year on January 1st.
KISS from XO, Kitty is fictional, but there are international schools in South Korea that are similar! Think of schools like Korea International School (KIS) or Dwight School Seoul . These offer English-language education and attract international students.
Legal definitions
In Korea, a child or youth is a person under 19 years old, except for a person for whom the first day of January of the year in which they reach 18 years of age has arrived.
If you're asking yourself, "How old am I in Korean age?" there are three simple ways to get the answer. One of the easiest and simplest ways of knowing your age in South Korea is to add one year to the current year and then subtract your year of birth. This method will make you one year older than your Western age.
Korean uses two number systems, Sino-Korean (il, i, sam...) for dates, money, minutes, and Native Korean (hana, dul, set...) for general counting, age, and hours; 1-10 in Sino-Korean are 일 (il), 이 (i), 삼 (sam), 사 (sa), 오 (o), 육 (yuk), 칠 (chil), 팔 (pal), 구 (gu), 십 (sip), while in Native Korean they are 하나 (hana), 둘 (dul), 셋 (set), 넷 (net), 다섯 (daseot), 여섯 (yeoseot), 일곱 (ilgop), 여덟 (yeodeol), 아홉 (ahop), 열 (yeol).
- Elementary School is 6 years (ages 6-12) Grades 1-6. - Middle School is 3 years (ages 13-15) Grades 7-9. Culminates in the Certificate of Graduation from Middle School. - High School is 3 years (ages 16-18) Grades 10-12.
The Republic of Korea is a type of mountainous country rarely seen throughout the world and its mountainous area covers more than 70% of the land.
South Korea's 52-hour work rule caps most employees' weekly working hours at 52, consisting of 40 standard hours plus 12 allowed overtime hours, aiming to reduce overwork, improve work-life balance, and boost productivity by ending excessively long workweeks previously common in the country. Implemented in phases for different company sizes, this law applies to a seven-day week, including weekends, and was a major revision to the Labor Standards Act, phasing in from 2018 to 2021 for most businesses.
No, but there are certainly schools like it. In fact, there's a school called Korea International School (K.I.S., pronounced “Kay Eye Ess”, not “kiss”). The logo of the school is blue text on a white background, similar to the logo of the fictional school in “XO, Kitty,” Korea Independent School of Seoul (K.I.S.S.).
Parent and Kid Reviews
Most reviewers appreciate its entertainment value and positive messages, despite noting some cheesy moments and mild content like swearing and discussions of sex dreams that could concern parents regarding appropriate viewing for younger audiences.
The "3 date rule" in Korean dating refers to the common practice of establishing an official couple status (boyfriend/girlfriend) by the third date, moving from casual "talking" (sseom) to a defined relationship quickly, a faster pace than typical Western dating, allowing for deeper getting-to-know-you stages after becoming official, though it's becoming less strict with younger generations. It's about rapid commitment assessment, with the first few dates gauging chemistry before locking things down.
Well-known for its high-achieving students, South Korea's education system is quite demanding. Students spend much of their time, often between 12 to 16 hours per day, at school or at a special after-school academy called a hagwon.
The Issue. I have once realized that though much of the world acknowledges 18 as the age of legal adulthood and age of majority, this is not so in South Korea where the legal adult age and age of majority is 19 that confuses the international age of 18 by Korean standards.
A total of 9 years of compulsory education from elementary school to middle school education is free, and high school education is not compulsory, but is provided free. Elementary and secondary schools in Korea must meet the establishment standards prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as facilities and equipment.
It can be either, depending on the language and context: "Gaja" (가자) is the common Korean informal word for "Let's go," though pronounced closer to "Kaja" by many, while "Kaja" is used in some Slavic languages (like Slovenian) as a name or for "effort/work," and the Italian wine brand Gaja is pronounced "Gah-yah," not "Gaja," notes a YouTube video.
There are pros and cons to learning Chinese or Korean. Relatively, Korean would be an easier language to learn. Thanks to its phonetic alphabet and more simplistic grammar rules, Korean is not the most challenging Asian language to learn. Chinese on the other hand is much more widely spoken.
The legal drinking age in Korea for foreigners is 19 years of age for most people. Specifically, adults can legally drink alcohol from January 1st of the year they turn 20, since everyone adds one year at the start of the new year.
In the Korean age system, babies are born as 1-year-olds, and a year is added every New Year's Day. For example, “a baby born on December 31 would be considered 2 years old the next day,” write NPR's Anthony Kuhn and Mary Yang.
Pepero (빼빼로) Day is held annually on November 11, and is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day. It involves the gifting or exchange of Pepero snacks, a line of chocolate-dipped cookie sticks, with the intention of displaying affection for friends and loved ones.