Understanding Korean News
Read Korean news headlines and articles: noun-ending headlines, 발표, ~에 따르면, ~로 알려졌다, ~할 방침이다 and 전년 대비.
Mr. Gaon · Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIKWhat you will learn in this lesson
- Understand why headlines end in nouns and how to read them
- Recognize reporting expressions such as ~에 따르면 and ~(으)로 알려졌다
- Read plans and numbers: ~할 방침이다, ~할 계획이다, 전년 대비, 증가/감소
- Summarize a short news article in plain Korean
Hello again! News Korean can look scary at first because headlines skip so many words. But news writing follows strict rules, and rules are my favorite thing. Once you know the pattern, you can read a headline in three seconds.
How a Korean news article is built
A typical Korean news article has three parts. The headline (제목) is very short and often has no verb ending. The lead (첫 문장 or 리드) is the first sentence; it answers who, what, when and where in one long sentence. The body (본문) adds details, numbers and quotes from experts or officials.
Articles are written in the plain -다 style you learned in the written style lesson. Reporters also use many Sino-Korean words, passive forms and fixed reporting phrases. The good news is that the same phrases repeat in almost every article. If you learn about thirty of them, you can follow most everyday news.
All examples in this lesson are invented for practice. They do not describe real events.
Headlines drop endings such as -했다 or -한다 and stop at the noun. You must add the missing verb in your head.
- A 하다 verb becomes its noun: 증가했다 → 증가, 발표했다 → 발표, 결정했다 → 결정.
- Particles are often dropped too, especially 이/가 and 을/를.
- A comma or dot can stand for "and": 물가 상승·소비 감소.
- Quotation marks show a person’s words or a claim: "안전이 최우선".
- 시, 내년부터 버스 요금 인상 si, naenyeonbuteo beoseu yogeum insangCity to raise bus fares from next year
- 올여름 전기 사용량 역대 최고 oryeoreum jeongi sayongnyang yeokdae choegoElectricity use this summer at an all-time high
- 청년 취업자 3개월 연속 증가 cheongnyeon chwieopja 3gaewol yeonsok jeunggaYoung people in employment rise for three months in a row
- 국립도서관, 야간 개방 시간 연장 gungnipdoseogwan, yagan gaebang sigan yeonjangNational library extends its evening opening hours
Core news nouns
- 발표 balpyo announcement (발표하다 = to announce)
- 증가 / 감소 jeungga / gamso increase / decrease
- 상승 / 하락 sangseung / harak rise / fall (prices, rates)
- 인상 / 인하 insang / inha raising / lowering (fees, prices set by someone)
- 도입 doip introduction (of a system or rule)
- 실시 silsi carrying out, implementation
- 조사 josa survey, investigation
- 관계자 gwangyeja official, person concerned
- 전문가 jeonmunga expert
- 정부 / 당국 jeongbu / dangguk government / authorities
"According to N, ..." — gives the source of information.
- The source comes first: 조사에 따르면, 통계청에 따르면, 관계자에 따르면.
- The sentence ends with reported speech (-다고 한다, -다고 밝혔다) or a result phrase (~것으로 나타났다, ~것으로 조사됐다).
- 됐다 is the short form of 되었다; both appear in news.
- 한 조사에 따르면 직장인의 절반이 아침을 거르는 것으로 나타났다. han josae ttareumyeon jikjanginui jeolbani achimeul georeuneun geoseuro natanatda.According to a survey, half of office workers turned out to skip breakfast.
- 관계자에 따르면 공사는 다음 달에 끝날 예정이라고 한다. gwangyejae ttareumyeon gongsaneun daeum dare kkeunnal yejeongirago handa.According to an official, the construction is expected to finish next month.
- 기상청에 따르면 이번 주말에는 전국에 비가 내리겠다. gisangcheonge ttareumyeon ibeon jumareneun jeonguge biga naerigetda.According to the weather agency, it will rain across the country this weekend.
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"It is known / reported that ..." — the reporter shares information without naming a direct source.
- Noun + (으)로 알려졌다: 사고 원인은 전기 문제로 알려졌다.
- Clause + -(으)ㄴ/는 것으로 알려졌다: 부상자는 없는 것으로 알려졌다.
- It is softer than a direct claim. The reporter is not 100% responsible for the fact.
- 이번 화재로 인한 인명 피해는 없는 것으로 알려졌다. ibeon hwajaero inhan inmyeong pihaeneun eomneun geoseuro allyeojyeotda.It is reported that there were no casualties from this fire.
- 새 경기장은 약 3만 명을 수용할 수 있는 것으로 알려졌다. sae gyeonggijangeun yak 3man myeongeul suyonghal su inneun geoseuro allyeojyeotda.The new stadium is reported to hold about 30,000 people.
- 사고 원인은 기계 고장으로 알려졌다. sago wonineun gigye gojangeuro allyeojyeotda.The cause of the accident is reported to be a machine failure.
Plans and policies. 방침 = an official policy or decided course of action; 계획 = plan; 예정 = something scheduled.
- 방침 is used for organizations and governments, not for personal plans.
- 예정이다 is for things already on the calendar: 다음 달 개장할 예정이다.
- -기로 했다 (decided to) is also common: 무료로 운영하기로 했다.
- 시는 노후 건물에 대한 안전 점검을 강화할 방침이다. sineun nohu geonmure daehan anjeon jeomgeomeul ganghwahal bangchimida.The city plans to strengthen safety inspections of old buildings.
- 회사는 내년에 신입 사원 200명을 채용할 계획이다. hoesaneun naenyeone sinip sawon 200myeongeul chaeyonghal gyehoegida.The company plans to hire 200 new employees next year.
- 새 다리는 오는 10월 개통될 예정이다. sae darineun oneun 10wol gaetongdoel yejeongida.The new bridge is scheduled to open this coming October.
Numbers are the heart of many articles. Look for 대비 and the words 증가, 감소 near a percentage. Then you can understand the main point even if you skip the hard words.
"Compared with the previous year / month" — the standard way to report change.
- 대비 = compared with. 전년 = previous year, 전월 = previous month, 동기 = same period.
- 전년 동기 대비 = compared with the same period last year.
- Verbs: 늘었다/줄었다 (native words) or 증가했다/감소했다 (Sino-Korean). Both are used.
- Percent is 퍼센트 (written %). 포인트 (%p) is used for a change in a rate.
- 지난달 수출은 전년 동월 대비 5.2% 증가했다. jinandal suchureun jeonnyeon dongwol daebi 5.2% jeunggahaetda.Exports last month rose 5.2% compared with the same month last year.
- 올해 관광객 수는 전년 대비 12% 줄었다. olhae gwangwanggaek suneun jeonnyeon daebi 12% jureotda.The number of tourists this year fell 12% from the previous year.
- 실업률은 전월보다 0.3%포인트 하락했다. sireomnyureun jeonwolboda 0.3%pointeu harakaetda.The unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points from the previous month.
Spoken vs news vocabulary
| Everyday Korean | News Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 늘다 | 증가하다 | to increase |
| 줄다 | 감소하다 | to decrease |
| 말하다 | 밝히다 / 전하다 | to say, to state |
| 요즘 | 최근 | recently |
| 올리다 (값) | 인상하다 | to raise (a price) |
| 시작하다 (제도) | 도입하다 / 시행하다 | to introduce / put into effect |
News prefers Sino-Korean words. Knowing the pairs helps you read and also explain news in your own words.
Practice article (invented)
- 한빛시, 도서관 24시간 운영 시범 도입 hanbitsi, doseogwan 24sigan unyeong sibeom doip Hanbit City introduces 24-hour library operation on a trial basis Headline: noun ending 도입. 시범 = trial.
- 한빛시는 다음 달부터 중앙도서관을 24시간 운영한다고 12일 밝혔다. hanbitsineun daeum dalbuteo jungangdoseogwaneul 24sigan unyeonghandago 12il balkyeotda. Hanbit City announced on the 12th that it will run the central library 24 hours a day from next month. Lead sentence: who, what, when. ~다고 밝혔다 = announced that.
- 시에 따르면 지난해 도서관 이용자는 전년 대비 18% 증가한 것으로 나타났다. sie ttareumyeon jinanhae doseogwan iyongjaneun jeonnyeon daebi 18% jeunggahan geoseuro natanatda. According to the city, library users last year rose 18% from the year before. Source + number + result phrase.
- 시는 이용 결과를 분석해 다른 도서관으로 확대할 방침이다. sineun iyong gyeolgwareul bunseokae dareun doseogwaneuro hwakdaehal bangchimida. The city plans to analyze the results and expand the program to other libraries. Policy plan: -(으)ㄹ 방침이다.
When I was young, families read the newspaper together at breakfast. Today you can do the same on your phone. Read one headline each morning and say it in a full sentence. That small habit grows into great skill.
Check quiz
Q1. What does the headline mean?
시, 주차 요금 인상 si, jucha yogeum insangQ2. Which phrase gives the source of information?
Q3. In 전년 대비 7% 감소, what does 대비 mean?
Q4. Which ending is normally used for an organization’s official policy?
Q5. What is the nuance of 부상자는 없는 것으로 알려졌다?
Great job! You now know the skeleton of Korean news. Next time you see a headline, find the last noun, add the verb, and look for 따르면 and 대비. You will be surprised how much you understand.
Key points
- Headlines usually end in a Sino-Korean noun (증가, 발표, 도입); add the verb yourself.
- N에 따르면 gives the source; ~것으로 나타났다/조사됐다 reports a result.
- ~(으)로 알려졌다 means "it is reported that" and is softer than a direct claim.
- -(으)ㄹ 방침이다 is an official policy; 계획 is a plan; 예정 is a schedule.
- 전년 대비 N% 증가/감소 is the standard way to report change.
Recommended official free resources
- Korean Basic Dictionary (multilingual) — National Institute of Korean Language
- TOPIK II reading practice — TOPIK official site (NIIED)
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