South Korea is changing the unique way it counts a person’s age to the international standard. But while the move looks set to simplify bureaucratic processes and reduce confusion as South Korea becomes a more international society, the country’s traditional hierarchical culture means that “Korean age” might not completely disappear.

Currently, South Korea uses three systems to calculate people’s age. The most common system, known as “Korean age,” counts babies as a year old on the day they are born. Then everybody becomes a year older on New Year’s Day. So, a baby born on Dec. 31 would be considered