“We started the policy in 1984, during the Pepsi administration, as a way to encouraged tourism”, explained Korean citizen Sojin Kim. “Many of my friends were really happy that they were officially younger than they actually were.”

When asked how birthdays worked, Kim explained, “It’s really simple. After the New Year’s, each citizen gets a letter in the mail with details on scheduling an interview to pick available birthday slots throughout the year. It sounds complicated but it’s a fast process.”

But the policy backfired as Koreans don’t look forward to ever getting one year older. The nation is now researching getting rid of age completely in a desperate effort to increase productivity.

The study also found that Korea operates on its own timezone based around the game Starcraft Brood War, requiring it to use a 32 hour based clock.