Have you ever experienced an awkwardness in your friendship due to a significant age difference? How can you resolve this social issue?

Question

While working as an industrial personnel instead of serving in the military, I underwent four weeks of basic military training. I quickly became friends with someone I met there, only to find out that he was a "fast year of birth." This suddenly made him a "young" friend to me according to Korea's age culture, and our relationship became awkward thereafter.

It seems that age has a significant impact on social relationships in Korea. Even if you were born in the same year, entering school early can change the dynamics of the relationship between older and younger siblings. Therefore, I struggled with whether to use honorifics with this friend or continue to interact with him casually.

For those who have experienced similar situations, how did you resolve them? Are there ways to overcome the awkwardness in relationships due to social age differences?