News Korean is the specialized language used in journalism, news articles, broadcasts, and media reports. It features concise expression, objective tone, and specific grammatical patterns distinct from everyday Korean.
Core Characteristics
News language features:
- Formal -다 endings in written articles
- -(ㄴ/은)다고 했다 for reported speech
- Concise, information-dense sentences
- Objective, neutral tone
- Headline-specific grammar
- Time-sensitive expressions
News Article Endings
-다 (Plain declarative)
Standard written news ending:
- 발표했다 (announced)
- 밝혔다 (revealed)
- 전했다 (reported)
- 강조했다 (emphasized)
Examples:
- 대통령이 새 정책을 발표했다 (The president announced a new policy)
- 경찰은 사건을 조사 중이라고 밝혔다 (Police revealed they are investigating)
-(ㄴ/은/는)다 (Descriptive)
Present states and facts:
- 문제가 심각하다 (the problem is serious)
- 상황이 악화된다 (the situation worsens)
- 논란이 계속된다 (the controversy continues)
Headline Grammar
Noun-only Headlines
No verbs or particles:
- 대통령, 신정책 발표 (President announces new policy)
- 경제 성장률 3% 달성 (Economic growth rate reaches 3%)
- 태풍, 남부 지방 강타 (Typhoon strikes southern region)
-하다 Verb Removal
Headline abbreviation:
- 발표하다 → 발표 (announcement)
- 강조하다 → 강조 (emphasis)
- 시작하다 → 시작 (start)
Full form: 대통령이 정책을 발표했다
Headline: 대통령, 정책 발표
Quote Marks in Headlines
Direct quote indicators:
- "경제 회복 중" (Official says: "Economy recovering")
- "즉각 조치" 요구 (Demands "immediate action")
Reported Speech
-(ㄴ/은)다고 했다 (Said that)
Reporting statements:
- 중요하다고 했다 (said it's important)
- 발표할 것이라고 했다 (said they will announce)
- 조사 중이라고 했다 (said they're investigating)
-(ㄴ/은)다고 밝혔다 (Revealed that)
Official statements:
- 추진하겠다고 밝혔다 (revealed they will push forward)
- 검토 중이라고 밝혔다 (revealed they are reviewing)
-라고 전했다 (Reported that)
Media reporting:
- 긍정적이라고 전했다 (reported it's positive)
- 계획 중이라고 전했다 (reported they are planning)
-(ㄴ/은)다고 강조했다 (Emphasized that)
Emphasis reporting:
- 필요하다고 강조했다 (emphasized it's necessary)
- 중요하다고 강조했다 (emphasized it's important)
News Verbs
Reporting Verbs
Attribution verbs:
- 밝히다 (to reveal/disclose)
- 전하다 (to report/convey)
- 발표하다 (to announce)
- 강조하다 (to emphasize)
- 주장하다 (to claim/assert)
- 설명하다 (to explain)
- 언급하다 (to mention)
- 지적하다 (to point out)
Action Verbs
Event description:
- 발생하다 (to occur)
- 진행하다 (to proceed)
- 확대되다 (to expand)
- 악화되다 (to worsen)
- 개선되다 (to improve)
- 증가하다 (to increase)
- 감소하다 (to decrease)
Investigation/Action Verbs
Official actions:
- 조사하다 (to investigate)
- 검토하다 (to review)
- 추진하다 (to push forward)
- 실시하다 (to implement)
- 단속하다 (to crack down)
Time Expressions
Specific Time Markers
News time references:
- 오늘 (today)
- 어제 (yesterday)
- 내일 (tomorrow)
- 지난 (last/past)
- 다음 (next)
- 이날 (on this day)
- 당시 (at that time)
Time-related Patterns
Temporal reporting:
- ~일 (on the _th day)
- ~오전/오후 (AM/PM)
- ~시경 (around _ o'clock)
- ~현재 (as of ~)
Examples:
- 15일 오전 (morning of the 15th)
- 어제 오후 3시경 (around 3 PM yesterday)
- 현재까지 (as of now / up to now)
Location Markers
Place References
Geographic markers:
- ~에서 (at/in location)
- ~지역 (region)
- ~일대 (area around)
- 현장 (scene/site)
Examples:
- 서울 시내에서 (in downtown Seoul)
- 남부 지역 (southern region)
- 사고 현장 (accident scene)
Numbers and Statistics
Numerical Reporting
Statistics presentation:
- ~% (percent)
- ~명 (counter for people)
- ~건 (counter for cases)
- ~억/조 원 (hundred million/trillion won)
- 약 (approximately)
- 총 (total)
- 최대 (maximum)
- 최소 (minimum)
Examples:
- 총 50명이 참석했다 (A total of 50 people attended)
- 약 3억 원 규모 (approximately 300 million won scale)
Comparative Numbers
Change reporting:
- 증가 (increase)
- 감소 (decrease)
- 상승 (rise)
- 하락 (fall)
- 전년 대비 (compared to last year)
- 전월 대비 (compared to last month)
Examples:
- 전년 대비 5% 증가 (5% increase compared to last year)
- 지난달보다 2% 하락 (2% decrease from last month)
Cause and Effect
Causation Patterns
-(으)로 인해 (Due to):
- 폭우로 인해 (due to heavy rain)
- 사고로 인해 (due to the accident)
~때문에 (Because of):
- 코로나19 때문에 (because of COVID-19)
- 날씨 때문에 (because of the weather)
~에 따라 (According to/Following):
- 법에 따라 (according to law)
- 계획에 따라 (according to plan)
Attribution
Source Attribution
~에 따르면 (According to):
- 경찰에 따르면 (according to police)
- 보도에 따르면 (according to reports)
- 관계자에 따르면 (according to officials)
~의 말에 따르면 (According to _ 's words):
- 대변인의 말에 따르면 (according to the spokesperson)
Quote Integration
Direct quotes:
- "
"라고 말했다 ("" said) - "
"라며 (" saying/while saying) - "
"고 덧붙였다 (added "")
Examples:
- "신속히 대응하겠다"고 말했다 (said "will respond quickly")
- "우려스럽다"며 ("worrying," saying)
Passive Voice
News Passive Constructions
Common passive forms:
- 밝혀지다 (to be revealed)
- 알려지다 (to become known)
- 확인되다 (to be confirmed)
- 발견되다 (to be discovered)
- 체포되다 (to be arrested)
- 구속되다 (to be detained)
Examples:
- 사실이 밝혀졌다 (The truth was revealed)
- 용의자가 체포되었다 (The suspect was arrested)
Breaking News Patterns
Urgent News Markers
Speed indicators:
- 속보 (breaking news)
- 긴급 (urgent)
- 단독 (exclusive)
- 특보 (special report)
Ongoing Situations
Continuous reporting:
- ~중이다 (in the process of)
- 진행 중 (in progress)
- 조사 중 (under investigation)
- 확인 중 (under confirmation)
Examples:
- 경찰이 조사 중이다 (Police are investigating)
- 사태가 진행 중이다 (The situation is ongoing)
Weather Reports
Weather Vocabulary
Weather terms:
- 맑음 (clear)
- 흐림 (cloudy)
- 비 (rain)
- 눈 (snow)
- 바람 (wind)
- 기온 (temperature)
- 강수량 (precipitation)
Weather Patterns
Forecast language:
- ~겠습니다 (will be)
- ~것으로 예상됩니다 (is expected to)
- ~전망입니다 (the forecast is)
Examples:
- 내일은 맑겠습니다 (Tomorrow will be clear)
- 비가 올 것으로 예상됩니다 (Rain is expected)
Political News
Political Vocabulary
Government terms:
- 정부 (government)
- 국회 (National Assembly)
- 여당 (ruling party)
- 야당 (opposition party)
- 정책 (policy)
- 법안 (bill)
- 개혁 (reform)
Political Actions
Political verbs:
- 추진하다 (to push forward)
- 반대하다 (to oppose)
- 지지하다 (to support)
- 비판하다 (to criticize)
- 제안하다 (to propose)
Economic News
Economic Terms
Business/economy vocabulary:
- 경제 (economy)
- 시장 (market)
- 주가 (stock price)
- 환율 (exchange rate)
- 성장률 (growth rate)
- 실업률 (unemployment rate)
- 물가 (prices)
Market Movements
Financial verbs:
- 상승하다 (to rise)
- 하락하다 (to fall)
- 급등하다 (to surge)
- 급락하다 (to plunge)
- 회복하다 (to recover)
Crime News
Crime Vocabulary
Legal terms:
- 사건 (case/incident)
- 용의자 (suspect)
- 피해자 (victim)
- 증거 (evidence)
- 재판 (trial)
- 혐의 (charge/suspicion)
Police Actions
Investigation terms:
- 체포하다 (to arrest)
- 구속하다 (to detain)
- 기소하다 (to indict)
- 수사하다 (to investigate)
- 검거하다 (to apprehend)
Disaster/Accident News
Incident Reporting
Accident vocabulary:
- 사고 (accident)
- 화재 (fire)
- 충돌 (collision)
- 피해 (damage)
- 사상자 (casualties)
- 부상자 (injured persons)
- 사망자 (fatalities)
Emergency Terms
Crisis vocabulary:
- 긴급 (emergency)
- 대피 (evacuation)
- 구조 (rescue)
- 복구 (recovery/restoration)
Article Structure
Lead Paragraph
Opening information (5W1H):
- 누가 (who)
- 무엇을 (what)
- 언제 (when)
- 어디서 (where)
- 왜 (why)
- 어떻게 (how)
Body Paragraphs
Development patterns:
- 세부 내용 (details)
- 배경 설명 (background)
- 관계자 반응 (reactions from officials)
- 전문가 의견 (expert opinions)
Closing
Conclusion patterns:
- 향후 전망 (future outlook)
- 추가 정보 (additional information)
- 관련 내용 (related content)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 대통령님이 (in neutral news)
Too honorific for objective reporting
✅ Correct: 대통령이
Neutral reference
❌ Incorrect: 말했어요 (casual ending)
Too informal for news
✅ Correct: 말했다
Proper news ending
❌ Incorrect: 아마 (maybe - vague)
Too uncertain for news
✅ Correct: ~것으로 보인다 / ~것으로 알려졌다
Professional uncertainty markers
Summary Table
| Category | Expression | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Announce | 발표했다 | 정부가 정책을 발표했다 |
| Reveal | 밝혔다 | 경찰이 사실을 밝혔다 |
| Report | 전했다 | 언론이 소식을 전했다 |
| Emphasize | 강조했다 | 중요성을 강조했다 |
| According to | ~에 따르면 | 경찰에 따르면 |
| Due to | ~로 인해 | 폭우로 인해 |
| Said that | ~다고 했다 | 중요하다고 했다 |
| Is expected | ~것으로 예상되다 | 증가할 것으로 예상된다 |