Master TOPIK Economy Headlines: 인상, 하락, and 동결
Learn essential TOPIK economy keywords like 인상, 하락, and 동결. Master Korean news headlines with our rewrite drill and quiz.
Decoding Korean economic news requires mastering specific Sino-Korean nouns that replace everyday verbs to save space in headlines.
Summary
Korean news headlines often look like a string of nouns without any particles. This can be intimidating for TOPIK learners because the grammar you learn in textbooks—like using verbs with endings—is often stripped away in favor of concise Hanja-based terms.
In the economy section, the most frequent topics involve movement: prices going up, values going down, or rates staying exactly where they are. Understanding these three directions is the first step to scoring high on the TOPIK II reading section.
Instead of saying 'Prices rose,' a headline will simply say 'Price Rise.' This shift from active sentences to noun-heavy phrases is the 'headline style' that many intermediate students struggle to parse during timed exams.
Today we look at three essential terms used to describe interest rates, inflation, and market trends. By learning these, you can quickly identify the 'vibe' of a news snippet before even reading the full paragraph.
Quick cheat sheet
Expressions in this post
Context note
This term is most commonly paired with money-related nouns like 금리geumri (interest rate), 물가mulga (prices), or 임금imgeum (wages). It implies an intentional or structural raise. In a TOPIK reading passage, if you see 인상insang, expect the following sentences to discuss the burden on consumers or the cooling of the economy.
Common pairing
최저임금 인상choejeoimgeum insang — Minimum wage hike
Context note
While 감소gamso means a decrease in quantity, 하락harak specifically refers to a drop in value, price, or status. It is the antonym of 상승sangseung (rise), but in headlines, it often competes with 인상insang when discussing market volatility. If a graph in a TOPIK question shows a downward line, 하락harak is the word you are looking for.
Common pairing
주가 하락juga harak — Stock price drop
Context note
Literally meaning 'frozen,' this is the go-to word for when the central bank decides not to change interest rates. It sounds very formal. You won't hear people use this for 'freezing' food in a casual way (that's 냉동naengdong); this is strictly for keeping a rate or a budget at its current level despite pressure to change it.
Common pairing
금리 동결geumri donggyeol — Interest rate freeze
Rewrite Drill: Headline to Plain Korean
In the TOPIK exam, you must often match a headline to a full sentence. Practice converting these noun-heavy headlines into standard sentences.
유가 하락 지속yuga harak jisok →유가가 계속해서 떨어지고 있습니다.yugaga gyesokhaeseo tteoreojigo itseupnida.전기료 인상 검토jeongiryo insang geomto →전기 요금을 올리는 것을 고민하고 있습니다.jeongi yogeumeul olrineun geoseul gominhago itseupnida.기준금리 동결 결정gijungeumri donggyeol gyeoljeong →기준 금리를 바꾸지 않기로 결정했습니다.gijun geumrireul bakkuji angiro gyeoljeonghaetseupnida.
Mini quiz
Notes:
- Q1:
동결donggyeol is the correct term for keeping a rate at its current level without change. - Q2:
인상insang refers to a price hike or increase, which explains why the final product became more expensive. - Q3:
하락harak describes a drop in value or price, matching the context of a downward trend.
Next steps
Give these 5 “spot the keyword” prompts a try:
- Look for
인상insang in the business section of a Korean portal site today. - Find the antonym of
하락harak in a dictionary (Hint: it starts with상sang). - Practice saying
금리 동결geumri donggyeol three times fast; it's a common news anchor phrase. - Write a sentence about your own 'salary' using
인상insang. - Check if
동결donggyeol is used in a weather report (Hint: it usually isn't; they use결빙gyeolbing for icy roads).
