뉴스와 공공 정보News and Public Information
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Recognize the formal deferential -습니다/-습니까 style and explain how it differs in use from everyday polite -아요/어요.
- Identify source-framing language in short news and public-information texts, including -다고 보도했다, -라고 밝혔다, and -에 따르면.
- Recognize common passive forms in news and notice language (-되다, -지다) without producing the full passive system independently.
- Read a short news item or public notice and identify its main point, its source, and its key facts.
- Listen to a short broadcast-style announcement and extract the essential information.
- Write a short, simplified news-style summary of an everyday event using recognized formal endings and source framing.
- Discuss a piece of public information with a partner, distinguishing what is reported from what is your own opinion.
This chapter's principal focus is recognition: learners identify and interpret formal endings, source framing, and passive forms in authentic-style news and public-information texts. Limited, carefully modeled production is expected only for the simplified summary task in the Writing Workshop. Everyday polite -아요/어요 remains your default productive speech level outside of that task.
Opening Scenario
지영's discussion group meets for its sixth session. This week 지영 brings a short radio-style news segment and a public notice from the neighborhood community center. Before the group can discuss what happened, they first need to notice how the language of news and public announcements differs from the way 수아, 라일라, and 민준 talk to each other. 지영 asks the group to listen for who is speaking, who is being quoted, and what ending each sentence uses.
- You will meet formal -습니다/-습니까 endings for the first time as a productive-adjacent system — you must recognize and interpret them confidently, and you may use them in a controlled, modeled way for this chapter's writing task.
- You will learn to notice when a sentence is reporting someone else's words or a news outlet's reporting, rather than stating the speaker's own firsthand claim.
- You will begin recognizing passive forms that are common in notices and reports, without needing to produce the full passive system yet.
Core Vocabulary
The following items support this chapter's news and public-information domain. Most are productive; a smaller receptive set appears at the end for reading and listening support only.
| Korean | Meaning | Category / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 뉴스 | news | noun (loanword) |
| 보도 | news report, coverage | noun; often with 하다/되다 |
| 발표 | announcement | noun; often with 하다/되다 |
| 공지 | notice, public announcement | noun |
| 사건 | incident, event (often serious) | noun |
| 사고 | accident | noun |
| 원인 | cause | noun |
| 대책 | countermeasure, response plan | noun |
| 주민 | resident | noun |
| 시청 | city hall | noun |
| 관련 | relation, connection (관련되다: to be related) | noun; often with 되다 |
| 확인되다 | to be confirmed | passive-form verb; dictionary form 확인되다 |
| 알려지다 | to become known | verb; dictionary form 알려지다 |
| 전해지다 | to be conveyed, to be passed along (of news) | verb; dictionary form 전해지다 |
| 밝히다 | to state clearly, to reveal (a fact) | action verb; chapter form 밝혔다 (past, formal) |
| 발생하다 | to occur, to arise | action verb; chapter form 발생했다 |
| 진행되다 | to be underway, to be in progress | verb; chapter form 진행되고 있다 |
| 예정이다 | to be scheduled (to happen) | construction; 예정입니다 in formal style |
| 시행되다 | to be implemented, to take effect | verb; often of policy |
| 대상 | target, subject (of a policy or notice) | noun; often with 을/를 대상으로 |
| 신청 | application | noun; often with 하다 |
| 마감 | deadline | noun |
| 기간 | period (of time) | noun; counter-adjacent |
| 문의하다 | to inquire | action verb; formal register |
| 담당자 | the person in charge | noun; formal register |
| 기자 | reporter, journalist | noun |
| 방송 | broadcast | noun; often with 하다/되다 |
| 시민 | citizen | noun |
| 피해 | damage, harm | noun |
| 복구되다 | to be restored, to be repaired (of infrastructure) | verb |
| 현재 | currently, at present | adverb/noun; formal register |
| 이달 말 | the end of this month | time expression |
| 전문가 | expert | noun |
| 조사하다 | to investigate, to survey | action verb |
| 관계자 | an official, a person connected to (an organization) | noun; formal register |
Productive lexical load: approximately 34 items above, within the Volume III range of 35–60 once recycled cumulative items are included.
| Korean | Meaning | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 속보 | breaking news | receptive |
| 여론 | public opinion | receptive |
| 대응하다 | to respond (to a situation) | receptive |
| 잠정적으로 | tentatively, provisionally | receptive |
The receptive set supports reading and listening comprehension only. It is not assessed for independent production in this chapter.
Pronunciation Focus
Formal -습니다/-습니까 endings are pronounced with a slightly more even, measured rhythm than everyday polite -아요/어요, which often carries more pitch movement. When -습니다 is followed by a vowel-initial word or particle in connected reading, the batchim ㅂ liaises normally, but broadcast speakers typically pause briefly at major clause boundaries rather than running everything together.
Practice reading the model passages below aloud at a slow, deliberate pace, pausing at each comma and full stop, before increasing speed.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces two closely related recognition systems — the formal -습니다/-습니까 speech level and source-framing expressions — plus receptive recognition of common passive forms. All three appear together constantly in real news and notice language, so they are taught as one integrated reading and listening skill.
1. Formal Deferential Style: -습니다/-습니까
Consonant-final stems take -습니다 (statement) or -습니까 (question); vowel-final stems take -ㅂ니다/-ㅂ니까. This is the deferential, formal speech level used in news broadcasts, official announcements, presentations, military and workplace contexts, and formal spoken address to groups. It is not simply "more polite" than -아요/어요 — it signals a formal, public, or hierarchical speech situation rather than personal warmth.
| Dictionary form | -아요/어요 (everyday polite) | -습니다/-ㅂ니다 (formal) |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가요 | 갑니다 |
| 먹다 | 먹어요 | 먹습니다 |
| 있다 | 있어요 | 있습니다 |
| 이다 | 이에요/예요 | 입니다 |
| 발생하다 | 발생해요 | 발생합니다 / 발생했습니다 |
- 오늘 오전 시청 앞에서 작은 사고가 발생했습니다. A small accident occurred in front of city hall this morning. 발생하다 stem + -았습니다 (past formal)
- 현재 피해 지역은 복구되고 있습니다. The affected area is currently being restored. 복구되다 (passive-form verb) + -고 있습니다 (ongoing, formal)
You are not expected to produce -습니다/-습니까 as your default speech level. Recognize it fluently in reading and listening, and use it only in the controlled writing task later in this chapter.
2. Source Framing: Reporting Where Information Comes From
News and public-information texts constantly mark where a claim comes from. Building on Chapter 4's -다고 하다, this chapter adds three common source-framing patterns:
- 에 따르면 — "according to ~," placed before the cited source.
- -다고 보도했다/보도되었다 — "(a news outlet) reported that ~."
- -라고 밝혔다 — "(someone) stated/revealed that ~," used for an official's own words.
- 시청 관계자에 따르면, 이번 공사는 이달 말에 끝날 예정입니다. According to a city hall official, this construction is scheduled to finish at the end of this month. 에 따르면 (source marker) + -(으)ㄹ 예정입니다 (formal scheduled future)
- 한 방송사는 사고 원인이 아직 확인되지 않았다고 보도했습니다. One broadcaster reported that the cause of the accident had not yet been confirmed. -다고 보도했습니다 (news-report attribution, formal)
- 담당자는 "안전이 최우선입니다"라고 밝혔습니다. The person in charge stated, "Safety is the top priority." -라고 밝혔습니다 (direct-quote attribution, formal)
3. Recognizing Common Passive Forms
Korean passive and passive-like forms appear constantly in impersonal, institutional writing, where the focus is on what happened rather than who did it. This chapter introduces recognition of a small set of high-frequency passive-form verbs built on -되다 and -지다. Full production of the passive and causative systems is scheduled for Chapter 8; here, focus only on recognizing meaning.
- 확인되다 — to be confirmed (vs. 확인하다, to confirm)
- 알려지다 — to become known (vs. 알다, to know)
- 전해지다 — to be conveyed/passed along (vs. 전하다, to convey)
- 시행되다 — to be implemented (vs. 시행하다, to implement)
[source marker: 에 따르면 / 관계자는] + [reported content with -다고/-라고 + 하다/보도하다/밝히다, in formal -습니다 past or present] + [optional passive-form verb for impersonal facts]
Recognizing this frame lets you quickly locate who is speaking, what they claim, and how certain the claim is — the three things a careful reader or listener of news always checks first.
Practice — Recognizing the news-sentence frame
- Read each sentence in the Model News Bulletin below and underline the source marker, if any.
- Circle the verb ending and identify whether it is everyday polite, formal, or a source-framing form.
- Note any passive-form verb and rewrite its active-verb counterpart if you know it.
Model News Bulletin
동네 뉴스: 시청 앞 도로 공사 소식
시청 앞 도로에서 어제 오후 작은 사고가 발생했습니다. 목격자에 따르면, 트럭 한 대가 신호를 놓쳐서 자전거와 부딪혔다고 합니다. 다행히 큰 부상은 없었던 것으로 확인되었습니다. 경찰 관계자는 "현재 정확한 사고 원인을 조사하고 있습니다"라고 밝혔습니다.
한편, 시청은 이번 사고와 별도로 다음 달부터 해당 도로에서 확장 공사를 시행할 예정이라고 발표했습니다. 공사 기간 동안 일부 구간이 통제될 예정이며, 주민들은 대중교통을 이용해 줄 것을 당부받았습니다. 공사 관련 문의는 시청 교통과로 하면 된다고 전해졌습니다.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What happened, according to the witness, and what verb ending marks that this is a witness's account rather than the reporter's own claim?
- What did the police official say directly, and which pattern introduces the direct quotation?
- What passive-form verb tells you the accident's injury status has been checked and confirmed?
- What is scheduled to happen next month, and how do residents find out more?
Guided Practice
- Rewrite three sentences from the Model News Bulletin in everyday polite -아요/어요 style, keeping the same meaning.
- Find two source-framing expressions in the bulletin and explain, in English, what each one signals about the certainty or origin of the information.
- Identify one passive-form verb in the bulletin and give its active counterpart.
- Write one original sentence describing a small local event, using 에 따르면 plus a formal ending.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud in a measured, broadcast-style pace. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
공지: 주민센터 여름 방학 프로그램
주민센터 관계자에 따르면, 다음 주부터 여름 방학 프로그램 신청을 받는다고 합니다. 이번 프로그램은 초등학생을 대상으로 하며, 신청 기간은 이달 말까지입니다. 관계자는 "자리가 한정되어 있으니 빨리 신청해 주시기 바랍니다"라고 당부했습니다. 자세한 내용은 주민센터 누리집에서 확인할 수 있다고 전해졌습니다.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| Who is the program for, and when does the application period end? | ______ |
| What does the official directly ask residents to do, and which pattern introduces that request? | ______ |
| Where can residents find more details, according to the announcement? | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short public notice below, which combines a formal register, source framing, and a passive-form verb.
공지사항: 도서관 임시 휴관 안내
시립 도서관 측에 따르면, 내부 시설 점검으로 인해 이번 주 금요일과 토요일 이틀간 임시로 휴관한다고 합니다. 점검은 전문가에 의해 진행될 예정이며, 이용에 불편을 드려 죄송하다는 안내가 전해졌습니다. 도서관 관계자는 "다음 주 월요일부터는 정상적으로 운영됩니다"라고 밝혔습니다. 반납 예정이었던 도서는 휴관 기간 이후로 연장된다고 합니다.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- Why is the library closing, and for how long?
- Find the sentence that directly quotes a library official, and identify the attribution pattern used.
- What happens to books that were due back during the closure period?
- Identify one passive-form verb in the passage and explain what it tells the reader about who performed the action.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task asks you to produce a short, simplified news-style summary — 간단한 소식 ("A Short Bit of News") — of an everyday event, using formal endings and source framing under close guidance.
- Choose an event. Pick a small, plausible local event: a schedule change, a minor incident, a community announcement, or a program notice.
- Draft in formal style. Write three to four sentences in -습니다/-ㅂ니다 style describing what happened or what is planned.
- Add a source. Include at least one source-framing expression (에 따르면, -다고 보도했다, or -라고 밝혔다) attributing part of the information to someone.
- Add one passive-form verb from this chapter's list where it fits naturally (for example, 확인되다 or 시행되다).
- Revise. Check your draft against the checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- All main sentences use formal -습니다/-ㅂ니다 style consistently, not mixed with -아요/어요.
- At least one source-framing expression appears and is attributed clearly.
- At least one passive-form verb from this chapter appears and is used correctly.
- No sentence claims something as the writer's own firsthand experience when it is reported information.
- Only Hangeul is used; no romanization appears in the final draft.
- Spacing and particles are accurate throughout.
- No grammar or vocabulary beyond Volume III, Chapters 1–6, appears productively.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 뉴스 읽어 보기
Read the Model News Bulletin aloud at a slow, deliberate pace, then read it again slightly faster, maintaining the formal rhythm described in the Pronunciation Focus.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 소식 전하기
With a partner, take turns: one person reads their Writing Workshop summary aloud in formal style, and the other listens and then restates the main point in everyday polite -아요/어요 style, as if explaining it casually to a friend.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself reading your Writing Workshop summary aloud, then record a second, separate version restating the same content in everyday polite style, noting how your word choice and endings change.
Culture and Communication
Formal -습니다/-습니까 style signals that a message is addressed to a general public audience rather than a specific individual, which is why it appears in broadcasts, public notices, official announcements, and presentations. Using this style does not make a message warmer or colder emotionally — it marks the situation as formal and public rather than personal.
Korean news and public notices are typically careful to distinguish confirmed facts from reported claims, often through phrases like 에 따르면 or -것으로 확인되었다. Learning to notice this distinction helps readers and listeners evaluate how certain a piece of information really is, a skill that matters in any language.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Writing a formal news-style summary that switches between -습니다 and -아요/어요 within the same passage.
Correction: Choose one speech level for the whole passage. For this chapter's Writing Workshop task, keep the entire summary in formal -습니다/-ㅂ니다 style.
Error: Reading a sentence with -다고 보도했다 or 에 따르면 and summarizing it as if the writer stated it as their own firsthand fact.
Correction: Preserve the attribution in your summary or answer: note who reported or stated the claim, not only the claim itself.
Error: Trying to freely produce new passive verbs beyond this chapter's small recognized set (확인되다, 알려지다, 전해지다, 시행되다).
Correction: Limit passive-form production to the four verbs introduced here. Full passive and causative production is scheduled for Chapter 8.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. Give the meaning of 보도, 발표, and 공지, and explain how each differs from the others.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Convert three sentences from everyday polite -아요/어요 style into formal -습니다/-ㅂ니다 style.
2. Write one sentence using 에 따르면 and one sentence using -라고 밝혔다.
3. Identify the active-verb counterpart of 확인되다 and 알려지다.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. Summarize the Reading Practice passage in three to four English sentences, naming the source of the information and what was directly quoted.
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write your own "간단한 소식" following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. Present your written summary aloud in formal style, then restate it in everyday polite style, following the Speaking Practice guidance above.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles narration and cause-and-result tools from Chapters 2 and 3, and it extends Chapter 4's -다고 하다 summarizing and reporting system into formal source-framing expressions. It introduces formal -습니다/-습니까 recognition and controlled use, plus recognition of a small set of passive-form verbs, while everyday polite -아요/어요 remains your default productive speech level outside the Writing Workshop task.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
동네 소식 전하기 — Sharing Neighborhood News
You will read a short authentic-style news item or notice, then explain its content to someone else both in writing and aloud, clearly distinguishing reported information from your own restatement.
- Reading: Read a short news item or public notice (this chapter's Reading Practice passage or a similar one your instructor provides).
- Written summary: Write a three-to-four sentence formal-style summary using at least one source-framing expression and one passive-form verb from this chapter.
- Spoken restatement: Explain the same content aloud in everyday polite style, as if telling a friend, while still noting who the information came from.
- Reflection: Write one to two English sentences on what was easiest or hardest about telling apart formal written news style from ordinary spoken explanation.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | Main point, source, and key facts of the news item are correctly identified |
| Formal style control | Written summary uses -습니다/-ㅂ니다 consistently and correctly |
| Source framing | At least one source-framing expression is used accurately and attributed clearly |
| Passive-form recognition | At least one recognized passive-form verb is used correctly |
| Register shift | Spoken restatement correctly shifts to everyday polite style while preserving attribution |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout, no romanization |
| Scope discipline | No structures used productively beyond Volume III, Chapters 1–6 |
Answer Key
Model News Bulletin — Comprehension
- A truck missed a signal and struck a bicycle; the ending -았다고 합니다 (built on the witness's account via 에 따르면) marks it as a witness's report, not the reporter's own firsthand claim.
- The police official said, "We are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident," introduced by -라고 밝혔습니다.
- 확인되었습니다 — "has been confirmed" — tells us there were no serious injuries.
- Expansion construction on the road is scheduled to begin next month; residents can inquire at the city hall transportation department.
Listening comprehension
- The program is for elementary school students; applications close at the end of this month.
- The official directly asks residents to apply quickly since spots are limited, introduced by -라고 당부했습니다.
- Residents can find more details on the community center's website.
Reading comprehension
- The library is closing for facility inspection, for two days (Friday and Saturday).
- "다음 주 월요일부터는 정상적으로 운영됩니다"라고 밝혔습니다 — introduced by -라고 밝혔습니다.
- Books due during the closure have their due dates extended until after the closure period.
- 진행될 예정 ("will be carried out") shows the inspection is performed by experts rather than library staff themselves; the passive framing keeps focus on the action rather than naming every individual responsible.
Chapter Review — Section B
1. Sample answer: 저는 학교에 가요 → 저는 학교에 갑니다; 날씨가 좋아요 → 날씨가 좋습니다; 저는 학생이에요 → 저는 학생입니다.
2. Sample answer: 전문가에 따르면, 이번 주말에 비가 올 예정입니다. / 담당자는 "신청은 내일까지입니다"라고 밝혔습니다.
3. 확인되다 ← 확인하다 (to confirm); 알려지다 ← 알다 (to know).
Section D — Sample "간단한 소식" excerpt
주민센터에 따르면, 다음 주부터 동네 공원에서 작은 음악회가 열릴 예정입니다. 관계자는 "누구나 무료로 참여할 수 있습니다"라고 밝혔습니다. 정확한 일정은 이번 주말에 확인될 예정이라고 전해졌습니다.
Check that: the summary stays in formal -습니다/-ㅂ니다 style throughout, includes at least one source-framing expression, and includes at least one recognized passive-form verb used correctly.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can recognize formal -습니다/-습니까 style and explain how it differs from everyday polite style, identify source-framing expressions and a small set of passive-form verbs in news and public-information texts, and produce a short, carefully modeled news-style summary. These skills prepare you for Chapter 7, where you will apply similar reading habits to technology and online-life texts.