Headline Style and Nominal Endings

Newspaper headlines use a style very different from everyday speech in order to save space and compress only the core information.

The most striking feature is ending the predicate with a noun form, or omitting it entirely. Instead of a full verb like '~했다', a headline ends in a bare noun or a clipped form such as '~키로'.

Nominal Endings

정부, 내년 예산 12조 원 증액

jeongbu, naenyeon yesan 12jo won jeungaek

Government to increase next year's budget by 12 trillion won. (Note: ends in the noun '증액', not a verb.)

여야, 법안 처리 합의 불발

yeoya, beoban cheori habui bulbal

Ruling and opposition parties fail to reach agreement on bill. ('불발' = failure to materialize, used as a noun ending.)

Omission of Particles and Predicates

한국 수출 3개월 연속 증가… 반도체가 견인

hanguk suchul 3gaewol yeonsok jeunga… bandochega gyeonin

Korean exports rise for 3rd straight month... led by semiconductors. (Subject particles dropped; '…' signals continuation.)

Headline form	Full sentence	Meaning
~키로	~하기로 했다	decided to ~
~밝혀	~을 밝혔다	revealed / stated
~논란	~을 둘러싼 논란이 일고 있다	controversy over ~
~할 듯	~할 것으로 보인다	likely to ~

Headlines also use the comma to split subject from predicate, while the interpunct (·) links coordinate items of equal weight.

Present Tense for Past Events

Headlines write even completed events in the present tense to convey vividness and immediacy. Rather than '대통령이 방문했다' (the president visited), they write '대통령 방문' or '대통령, 현지 방문'.

국제유가 급등… 주유소 기름값 들썩

gukjeyuga geupdeung… juyuso gireumgap deulsseok

International oil prices surge... gas station fuel prices unsettled. (Both predicates are noun forms.)

여야 대표 회동, 민생 법안 처리 '공감'

yeoya daepyo hoedong, minsaeng beoban cheori 'gonggam'

Ruling and opposition leaders meet, 'agree' on handling livelihood bills. (Quotes mark a paraphrased term.)

💡 Tip: When reading a headline, mentally restore the omitted particles and predicates. '정부, 예산 증액' becomes '정부가 예산을 증액하기로 했다' (the government decided to increase the budget).

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