Vocabulary
잠입하다
verb
Beginner
to infiltrate, to sneak into
work
적군이 국경을 넘어 잠입해 들어왔어.
The enemy forces infiltrated across the border.
자원하다
verb
Beginner
to volunteer
work community
힘든 임무인데 자원할 사람 있어?
It's a tough mission — is there anyone who wants to volunteer?
철수하다
verb
Beginner
to withdraw, to pull out (from a place or situation)
work
상황이 위험하니까 일단 철수해.
The situation is dangerous, so withdraw for now.
도청하다
verb
Beginner
to wiretap, to eavesdrop (electronically)
work
회의실이 도청되고 있을 수도 있어.
The meeting room might be wiretapped.
첩보
noun
Beginner
intelligence (information), secret military or spy information
work
그 첩보가 사실인지 아직 확인이 안 됐어.
It hasn't been confirmed yet whether that intelligence is accurate.
합격하다
verb
Beginner
to pass (an exam or test)
community emotions
드디어 시험에 합격했어! 너무 기쁘다.
I finally passed the driving test.
추정되다
verb
Intermediate
to be estimated, to be presumed, to be assumed
work
용의자의 나이는 30대 초반으로 추정돼.
The suspect's age is presumed to be in the early thirties.
포섭하다
verb
Intermediate
to recruit (someone for a spy network or cause), to win someone over
work
놈이 우리 팀원을 포섭하려 했던 거잖아.
That guy was trying to recruit our team member, wasn't he.
암약하다
verb
Intermediate
to operate covertly, to work in the shadows (often of spies or criminals)
work
그 조직은 수년째 도심 한복판에서 암약해 왔어.
That organization has been operating covertly in the middle of the city for years.
오리무중
noun
Intermediate
complete uncertainty, total mystery (lit. 'five li of fog')
work emotions
사건의 범인은 아직도 오리무중이야.
The culprit behind the case is still a complete mystery.
공작명
noun
Intermediate
operation codename (in espionage)
work
그 요원의 공작명은 아직 기밀이야.
That agent's codename is still classified.
시급하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be urgent, to be pressing
work emotions
지금 당장 해결해야 할 시급한 문제가 생겼어.
An urgent problem has come up that we need to solve right now.
잔소리
noun
Intermediate
nagging, unsolicited lecturing
community emotions
맨날 잔소리만 하지 말고 좀 도와줘.
Stop nagging all the time and help out a bit.
종횡무진
adverb
Advanced
freely and actively in all directions, all over the place (often with great skill or energy)
work
그 선수는 필드를 종횡무진 누비며 골을 넣었어.
That player ran freely all over the field and scored a goal.
아랑곳없이
adverb
Advanced
regardless, without caring at all, paying no heed to
work emotions
주변의 시선도 아랑곳없이 자기 할 말을 다 했어.
He said everything he wanted to say without caring at all about the people around him.
고첩망
noun
Advanced
domestic spy network (고 = inside the country, 첩 = spy, 망 = network)
work
고첩망이 완전히 노출됐다면 큰일이야.
If the domestic spy network has been fully exposed, we're in serious trouble.
무참히
adverb
Advanced
mercilessly, ruthlessly, brutally
emotions work
그 범인은 피해자를 무참히 공격했어.
That criminal brutally attacked the victim.
Key Expressions
Issuing commands and dismissals
제대로 일할 놈들만 따라와
"properly work guys only follow-me"
A blunt, domineering banmal command used to separate competent people from the rest. 놈 is derogatory in neutral contexts but can be rough-affectionate among men.
진짜 하고 싶은 사람만 따라와, 억지로 할 필요 없어.
Only those who actually want to do it should follow — no need to force yourself.
Asserting or sharing gossip / insider information
-잖아 / -잖아요
"you know (that)… / as you know…"
Used to assert something the speaker believes the listener already knows or should accept. In banmal (-잖아), it's casual; it can carry a 'obviously' or 'come on' nuance.
걔 성격이 원래 그렇잖아, 놀랄 것도 없어.
You know that's just how his personality is — nothing to be surprised about.
누가 워커홀릭 아니랄까 봐
"who would say (he) isn't a workaholic"
The pattern -아니랄까 봐 expresses 'just as expected of ~,' confirming a stereotype with mild sarcasm. Equivalent to 'true to form' in English.
누가 완벽주의자 아니랄까 봐, 또 처음부터 다시 하네.
True to form as a perfectionist, she's starting all over again.
Reporting intelligence / formal briefing language
첩보를 입수했습니다
"intelligence received (formal/polite)"
A fixed formal expression used in intelligence or official reporting contexts, meaning 'we have obtained intelligence.' 입수하다 means to obtain or acquire information/items.
용의자가 국내로 들어왔다는 첩보를 입수했습니다.
We have obtained intelligence that the suspect has entered the country.
-것으로 추정됩니다
"it is presumed to be ~ / it is estimated that ~"
Standard formal/written Korean for stating an assumption or estimate with evidence. Widely used in news, official reports, and briefings to hedge a claim professionally.
사고 원인은 부주의인 것으로 추정됩니다.
The cause of the accident is presumed to be carelessness.
반드시 먼저 잡아야 합니다
"must catch first without fail"
반드시 intensifies obligation to 'absolutely must.' Combined with -아야 합니다, it creates an urgent, non-negotiable imperative suitable for formal briefings.
이 정보는 반드시 오늘 안에 보고해야 합니다.
This information must absolutely be reported within today.
Casual commentary and reaction
성질은 좀 지랄 같은데
"the personality is somewhat like a fit/hell"
지랄 같다 is a vulgar but common colloquial expression meaning 'is a pain in the ass' or 'is horrible.' Often used to grudgingly acknowledge someone's difficult character.
성질은 좀 지랄 같은데 실력만큼은 진짜야.
Her temper is a real pain, but her skills are genuine.
억수로 잘생겼다
"torrentially/extremely handsome"
억수로 is a Gyeongsang (southeastern) dialect word meaning 'extremely' or 'incredibly.' It signals regional dialect and casual, expressive speech among the female students.
그 배우 억수로 잘생겼지 않아?
Isn't that actor incredibly handsome?
Grammar Patterns
-아/어 오던
Past continuous background action (leading up to now)
This pattern combines the directional auxiliary -아/어 오다 (action continuing toward the present) with the retrospective modifier -던 (used to recall or describe a past state). Together, -아/어 오던 describes an action that had been ongoing over time in the past, often used to characterize a person or situation. It appears in formal or narrative speech.
Practice sentences
오랫동안 우리 팀을 이끌어 오던 사람이 갑자기 사라졌어.
The person who had been leading our team for a long time suddenly disappeared.
믿어 오던 동료가 배신을 한 거잖아.
The colleague you'd been trusting betrayed you, you know.
💡 Don't confuse -아/어 오던 (past continuous up to a point) with -아/어 온 (simply 'has come to do'); -던 adds the nuance of recalling a characteristic past pattern.
-는 것으로 추정됩니다 / -(으)ㄹ 가능성이 농후하다
Formal hedging and probability in intelligence/reporting contexts
These two patterns both express inference or high probability in formal registers. -는 것으로 추정됩니다 ('it is presumed that') is standard in reports and broadcasts. -(으)ㄹ 가능성이 농후하다 means 'there is a strong likelihood that ~,' with 농후하다 meaning 'thick/dense,' used metaphorically for high probability. Both are essential in professional Korean.
Practice sentences
범인은 내부 관계자인 것으로 추정됩니다.
The culprit is presumed to be an internal party.
그가 이미 국경을 넘었을 가능성이 농후해.
There is a strong likelihood that he has already crossed the border.
💡 추정됩니다 is passive-formal; learners often incorrectly use 추정합니다 (active). Always use the passive form 추정되다 in reporting speech.
-잖아 (informal assertion / shared knowledge)
Asserting what both speakers should know
The ending -잖아 (formal: -잖아요) signals that the speaker is presenting something as shared knowledge or an obvious fact, often with a slight 'you should know this' undertone. It can carry tones of mild exasperation, emphasis, or gossip. It is one of the most frequently used informal speech endings in Korean dramas.
Practice sentences
걔가 원래 그런 스타일이잖아, 왜 놀라?
That's just his style, you know — why are you surprised?
우리 팀이 제일 잘하잖아, 걱정 마.
Our team is the best, you know — don't worry.
💡 Avoid using -잖아 to introduce truly new information; it always implies the listener has some basis to already know or accept the statement.
Cultural Notes
행시 (行試) — the Korean Civil Service Exam
행시 is short for 행정고시, the highly competitive national administrative civil service examination in South Korea. Passing it is considered a major life achievement, roughly equivalent to passing the bar exam in prestige. Gwang-tae's excited question ('You passed the 행시?!') signals that Soo-ho is perceived as an elite figure among the boarding house residents.
일당백 (一當百) — 'One against a hundred'
일당백 is a classical Chinese-derived idiom (一當百) meaning one person who can handle a hundred opponents — used colloquially as a nickname for someone extraordinarily capable. Kyung-hee uses it as Hanna's flattering nickname, which Kang-mu dismisses immediately, revealing his contempt for sentimentality and team morale.
Gyeongsang dialect (경상도 사투리)
The female students in the boarding house use 경상도 dialect, particularly '억수로' (extremely), '-말이가' (isn't it?), and '-카더라' (they say that~). This dialect is associated with the southeastern Gyeongnam/Busan region of Korea and is the most commonly featured regional dialect in Korean dramas for comic or warm characterization.
재독 교포 — Korean diaspora in Germany
In the 1980s setting of Snowdrop, there was a significant Korean community in West Germany, largely made up of miners and nurses recruited in the 1960s–70s. A 재독 교포 (ethnic Korean residing in Germany) attending a German university was a prestigious and somewhat exotic background for a character in that era, explaining the female students' awe at learning Soo-ho is a graduate student at Berlin University.