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Every baby born in South Korea last year was considered to be 2 on Jan. 1.

According to one of the world's most unusual age-calculating systems, South Koreans become 1 on the day of their birth and then get an additional year tacked on when the calendar hits Jan. 1.

A lawmaker is working now to overturn the centuries-old tradition amid complaints that it's an anachronistic, time-wasting custom that drags down an otherwise ultramodern country.

The origins of this age reckoning system aren't clear. Being 1 upon birth may be linked to the time babies spend in their mothers' wombs or to an ancient Asian numerical system that didn't have the concept of zero.