In the U.S., a person's age is almost irrelevant, but in South Korea, age spells a world of difference.

For instance, you may think some of your favorite Korean drama stars are a certain age — but in reality, they are a few years older. And even if you suspect that, you might have trouble finding out just what their real ages are. In public, Korean stars, both women and men, fudge their age by a year or two — to make themselves younger, never older. If you look at fan sites, the celebrity age is often different from site to site by a year or so. There is so much ambiguity about age for celebrities that fans are usually in doubt.

There is a strict hierarchy in Korea when it comes to age. For example, you cannot be friends with people who are older than you, nor with people younger than you. You can socialize with people of other ages, but there is an honorific way of speaking to someone even a year older than you, and a very colloquial way of speaking to a person younger than you. You often see in dramas students in school bullying or slapping underclassmen on the head for not respecting the upperclassmen.

Age in Korea is also calculated very differently than in the US. For example, in Korea, when a child is born, he is considered 1 year old. At the turn of the New Year, everyone in Korea officially ages by one year at the same time; age is not added on your birthday.

So let's say a child was born in Korea on Nov. 1, 2007. This child is considered to be a year old. When the New Year comes, the same child will be 2 years old in Korean terms. In the U.S., the same child would be considered only a little over 2 months old.

If your birthday hasn't passed, the difference between your Korean age and American age is 2 years. Let's say a woman was born on March 1, 1978. She would be 29 years old in the U.S., turning 30 on March 1, 2008. Her Korean age would be 30 right now, and when the New Year comes, she would turn 31. So for the months of January and February, her Korean age is 31 and American age is 29. After her birthday she will be 30 American age and 31 Korean age.

Many Korean celebrities have a public age that the media use (generally released by their management company). And then there is "real" age.

There are several theories about what is going on. Some say they are using the American-style age calculation. Another theory is that they are shaving off a year or two to appeal to a younger demographic. For the most part, these stars debut in their early 20s or late teens. The most active hallyu fans in Korea are in their teens, and the stars must appeal to this age group to survive.

The teens are Internet savvy and avid fans who follow the stars' every move. If the star is considered "too old," his or her chances are dim of making it in the entertainment world. You will almost never see a star debut in their 30s or 40s.

The longevity of stars is another theory — if you debut at a younger age, your longevity is longer. For every star that makes it big in Korea, there are hundreds who fail. There are hardly any Korean drama stars in their 40s, so if actors did fudge their age a year or two, they might extend their career a little longer.

The last theory on age-shaving is that the star has a chance to get more roles in the young-er category versus the "uncle" or "aunt" role that is usually not the main role nor the best-paying one.

THIS WEEK’S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'BRIDE FROM VIETNAM'

Episodes 33 and 34

Tonight at 7: Young-min asks Jun-wu if Ji-young has anything to do with the reason Jun-wu's mother is against Se-mi marrying Young-su. But Jun-wu tells him no, and says his ex-girlfriend is dead. Jin-ju has another tiff with In-kyong when she calls Jun-wu to make sure he had lunch.

Tonight at 8: Young-min goes to see Jun-wu's mother to ask if Ji-young was Jun-wu's girlfriend. Jun-wu finds Young-min with his mother, and takes him out to a drink and tells him to trust his wife.

'KING & I'

Episodes 13 and 14

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Chi-gyeom tells Wol-hwa he wants to adopt Chu-sun. Chi-gyeom asks Chu-sun if he has feelings for So-hwa, but he denies. Chi-gyeom tells him to forget her since she'll soon become the king's woman.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: The preparation for So-hwa's appointment as a concubine gets under way. But So-hwa's fear grows, and she misses Chu-sun. Chi-gyeom tells the old granny So-hwa will become the king's concubine, but she tells him the country will be enveloped in darkness when that happens.

'LOBBYIST'

Episodes 7 and 8

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Jang Tae-sung has Maria kidnapped from her hotel. Harry comes to her rescue when he finds out Maria's been kidnapped. Tae-hyuk begs Jang Tae-sung to spare Maria's life. Maria is put in a sack and tossed into the sea.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: Maria is in New York. She's devastated when Michael sets her bus on fire. Madam Chae hires Harry to play a game of cards with a house representative, and tells him to lose.

'TIME BETWEEN DOG & WOLF'

Episodes 7 and 8

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Mingi goes to Thailand and finds Ji-woo wearing the watch he bought her. On the day of the BS Enterprise anniversary party, Kay is following Mao. But when Kay sees Mingi and Ji-woo together, he's stunned. Mao asks Kay to protect Ji-woo.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Ahwa is happy to see Kay, but Kay says he can't trust anyone since he lost his memory. Young-gil asks Mao to protect Ji-woo. Ji-woo sees a man who looks a lot like Su-hyun at an exhibition.