Something I cannot get used to with the Korean culture

I have Korean friends. Here in the US, if someone is older than you by 1 year, they’re still your friends. Age doesn’t matter. In Korea, you have to respect people who are older than you. Like if I’m born in December 1990 and someone else was born 1989 or before, I have to show respect to them. Even if I was born January 1991 and the other person was born December 1999, I still have to show respect. My Korean friend Jin is a year and a half older than me and he is always looking out for me but he also scolds me pretty often because their culture is hard for me to get used to. He’s 35 and I’m almost 34. The worst part is, even if they are being unfair, you can get scolded if you argue back and possibly lose trust and the friendship.