Although circumcision in South Korea has been strongly influenced by American culture, it has never been predominantly neonatal. The age at circumcision has continued to decrease and boys are now circumcised at approximately 12 years old.
Age at the time of circumcision
Of 1306 men circumcised, 7.8% were circumcised at age <10 years and 15.0% were circumcised at age >15 years. At age 10–15 years, 928 (55.2%) were circumcised. Only about 1.0% of the men were circumcised within 1 year of birth (fig 1).
Because circumcision started through contact with the American military during the Korean War, South Korea has an unusual history of circumcision." According to a 2002 study, 86.3% of South Korean males aged 14–29 were circumcised. In 2012, it is the case of 75.8% of the same age group.
At the start of Korean circumcision, nearly all procedures were performed on adults. Therefore, it is possible that simply by habit, the operation is generally performed mostly on older males and not on infants. Currently, many Korean doctors tend to recommend circumcision mostly at the onset of puberty.
It is the only country among its geographical and cultural neighbors in which most boys are circumcised; no other countries with strong Confucian and Buddhist traditions circumcise at this rate [1]. In fact, circumcision is against Korea's long and strong tradition of preserving the body as a gift from parents.
Circumcision is most common in Australia, Canada, Israel, the Muslim world, South Korea, the United States, and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa. It is relatively rare for non-religious reasons in Europe, Latin America, parts of Southern Africa and Oceania and most of non-Muslim Asia.
About 1 in 10 newborn boys in Australia undergo circumcision in Australia today. Male circumcision has been performed for religious and cultural reasons for thousands of years. In some cultures and religions, it remains an important religious and cultural ritual.
In Australia today, fewer than 20 per cent of boys are circumcised. When considering circumcision for your child, you should be aware of the possible risks and benefits. Circumcision may offer health benefits, although these may be too small to justify surgery. There are different methods of circumcision.
Medical experts agree that the risks of circumcision for non-medical reasons outweigh the benefits. Circumcision isn't performed in Australian public hospitals unless there's a medical reason for it. Circumcision must be done safely and with adequate pain control.
In Japan, routine male circumcision has never been implemented for newborns and children, and adult males are mostly circumcised at aesthetic clinics. However, media reports indicate a trend of Japanese mothers willing to have their sons circumcised.
In China, the nation with the largest population in the world, circumcision is generally treated as a selective medical intervention to treat some diseases; only 2.66% of males have been circumcised, and EIMC is not a traditional practice, except among Muslims, who account for < 3% of the population [14].
Circumcision is rare for Christians in the countries of Europe, East Asia, parts of Africa, as well as in India and until recently in Southern Africa. Christians in the East and West Indies (excluding the Philippines) do not practice it either.
The preferred age is usually seven, although some Muslims are circumcised as early as on the seventh day after birth and as late as at the commencement of puberty. Circumcisions are usually carried out in health facilities or hospitals, and performed by trained medical practitioners.
Circumcision can be done at any age. Traditionally, the most common time to do it is soon after your baby is born, or within the first month of life. Because the process is painful, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area and the surgery is performed while the baby is still awake.
Thailand has some experience with circumcision as Muslim boys are circumcised in a pre-adolescent religious ritual. In addition, for-profit hospitals that cater to a foreign and wealthy clientele provide NMC [17]. However, the majority (~ 90%) Buddhist population does not practice either MC or child circumcision.
Back in the 1950s, roughly 80 per cent of Australian men and boys were circumcised. That rate has steadily decreased and now, around 20 per cent of Australian newborns are circumcised. This is largely due to developments in modern medicine.
In most of Asia, Europe, Central America, and South America, circumcision is less common, with prevalence rates below 20%.
Circumcision is also standard in the United States and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa, but is rare in Europe, Latin America, and most of Asia. A personal preference in favor of circumcision is more common in Anglophone countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Circumcision will be painful for the baby or child, both at the time of the operation and for some days after. The Paediatrics & Child Health Division of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians(RACP) strongly recommends the use of pain relief both during and after the operation.
The cost of a circumcision procedure depends on the method that we use and age of the patient. The price for a circumcision procedure starts from $385 'out of pocket' with Medicare. Your Medicare rebate can be obtained via your myGov account. If your baby does not have a Medicare card, a circumcision starts at $611.
Both the rapid increase in the period from 1980–2000 and the recent decrease are more drastic when compared to their counterpart periods in US history. In the present study, the current circumcision rate of 75.8% (ages 14–29) is 11.1 percentage points lower than the 86.3% value observed in 2002.
Circumcision, which rarely occurs in Vietnam, was associated with a 2 mm reduced penis length. Discussion: Findings on correlations between penile dimensions and somatometric parameters from previous studies are questionable and some measurements, such as glans dimension, have not been thoroughly investigated so far.
Among the non-circumcising nations are Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, the U.S.S.R. , China, and Japan. People employing circumcision do so either for "health" reasons or as a religious ritual practiced by Muslims, Jews, most black Africans, non-white Australians, and others.