i.e. group I, 16–29 years old; II, 30–39; III, 40–49; and Introduction IV, 50–79. The respective sample sizes are shown in Table 1. The survey was conducted largely by the About 80% of the world’s male population remains uncircumcised; most male circumcision is practised for authors, taking the questionnaires to interviewees in the Seoul area (mostly on the street) and concentrating on religious reasons, largely in Moslem and Jewish communities [1–3]. One major exception is America and it those aged 16–39 years, for these groups reflect the most recent trend in the circumcision rate. Older groups is often assumed that America is the only country where routine infant circumcision is widely practised for no reflect the situation in the past and from these individuals, the point when Korean circumcision began could major religious reason [1–3]. This belief is only partly true, for South Korea probably has the highest circumbe identified. Table 1 shows the circumcision statistics for the four age groups; the rate is very high among the cision rate among those not Moslem or Jewish. Furthermore, South Korea has possibly the largest absolyounger groups. If those individuals who wish to be circumcised later are included, the rate is as high as ute number of teenage or adult circumcisions anywhere in the world. At present, South Korea is the only country 91% in group I. The rate decreases with increasing age and among those 50–79 years old, it is about 50%. The that practises routine male circumcision among its immediate geographical and cultural neighbours. For rate of circumcised males plus those who wish to be circumcised later is plotted against the median ages of instance, the vast majority of the population in Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan do not practise circumcision groups I–IV in Fig. 1. The decrease in circumcision rate with increasing age suggests that circumcision is a (PY Yu, T Ishihara, I Brener, W Shan, private communication). recently acquired custom. To investigate this and related issues further, we examined the approximate age at Throughout their long history, Koreans did not circumcise males until 1945, when Korea gained its indewhich the operation was performed. pendence after 36 years of Japanese occupation. Independence brought trusteeship by the American military in the southern half of the country. Many thousands of American troops were involved in the Korean War, Table 1 The circumcision rate and ages at which circumcision starting from its outbreak in 1950, and remain heavily was performed in four age groups of Korean males involved in the military institutions. The present day routine circumcision of teenage and adult males, as well Age group (years) as infant boys in South Korea, has its roots in this American Variable 16–29 30–39 40–49 50–79 involvement; 1950 can be safely regarded as the year when widescale circumcision started in South Korea. Total (571); 339 123 45 64 In this article, preliminary statistics on the rate of Number (%); circumcision in Korean males of various age groups and Circumcised 285 (84) 102 (83) 31 (69) 32 (50) Wish to be the age at which it is practised are reported. The wide circumcised range of individual reasons for being circumcised or later 23 (7) 5 (4) 1 (2) 1 (2) remaining intact will be reviewed. In addition, the origin Will remain of the current situation is investigated by assessing uncircumcised 31 (9) 16 (13) 13 (29) 31 (48) previous Korean studies, recent newspaper articles and Age group at circumcision (years); textbooks. <6 24 (8) 3 (3) 0 (0) 0 (0) 6–11 90 (32) 8 (8) 0 (0) 0 (0) 12–14 72 (25) 6 (6) 2 (6.5) 0 (0) Circumcision rates with age 15–17 47 (16) 10 (10) 2 (6.5) 2 (6) 18 52 (18) 75 (74) 27 (87) 30 (94) We surveyed the circumcision rate and the time at which the procedure was performed in four diCerent age groups,