Korean Job Discussion Forums

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

If your looking for a laugh, ask your Korean buds how long a human is pregnant for.

I'm curious to see if anyone finds out the reasons Koreans think this way (It took me about a day of "scouring" to find it).

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

VanIslander · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 4:23 am Post subject:

It takes three months for many Korean men to get laid, so from concept to birth is just about a full year Surprised

Seriously though, many of my students know that foetuses take nine months to develop.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Lunar vs calendar months?

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

I think alot of people think 9 months (no matter where you're from), but there's a strong argument for 9 1/2 - 10 months since women don't exactly find out they're pregnant right away. What do the scientists say?

I was more than a month late. My "due" date was the end of August and I wasn't born till October. My mom wasn't too happy about that.

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

This has come up before. The reason is that Koreans measure preganancy in months of 28 days each. Thus, it turns out to be roughly ten months by their definition of a pregnancy month. It's the same gestation length as everyone else; just divided differently.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

None of these ideas are making me laugh. They all sound logical.

peppergirl · Joined: 07 Dec 2003

Gestation is 38 weeks on average, but as the exact time of conception is not usually known, LMP (last menstrual period) date is used as day 1, making the total 40 weeks.
40 weeks= 10 lunar months of 28 days = appr. 9 calendar months

(30 weeks to go!)

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

wow, 10 mins and this many responses.. cool!

Anyways, yeah its a combination of a numer of things that they could it at 10 months (from what i can figure).

-one is the lunar callendar. basically rotating on a 28 day cycle 10x28=280. close to the average gestation period of a human (266 days).

-the 28 day thing also nicely falls into the mentral cycle thus affirming 10 missed months.

-the majority of Koreans (adults) were educated in reproductive systems by their parents (mothers) and enabled this myth/measuring system to continue.

-many countries use different measuring systems from historical/cultural throwbacks. Look at Canada and the metric/imperial system. What do you measure your height in? How about your milk?

So kangnam.. sorry it wasnt funny enough for ya. I KNOW I got a chuckle listening to my students and co-workers TELL me that its 10 months. I ended up flooding them with websites and gestation period comparasins and won a manwon bet (horray!).

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

yeah, I guess it all depends on who ya talk to. It took me a "more than a few Koreans" to find someone who would sit down with me and figure it out logically.

For me, I guess its still funny to have someone stare me squarly in the face and tell me something like that. And then get mad when I dissagree.

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

How come you won the bet when saying 10 months seems to be pretty much as logical as saying 9 months?

Seems like another of example of something where you think "Stupid koreans" until you scratch the surface a bit to me.

animalbirdfish · Joined: 04 Feb 2004

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

You can see how kids would never question it and adults probably wouldn't encourage the questions- "So what exactly happened 9/10 months ago apa?"