Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 1 · expression

에도 불구하고

에도 불구하고: Despite — In Spite Of That Noun

Phrase with 불구하다 「002」: not bound by that obstacle — despite / in spite of.

Before this, make sure you know: -아도 / -어도 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Noun + 에도 불구하고	N에도 불구하고	비에도 불구하고 / 어려움에도 불구하고
Nominal + 음에도 불구하고	-음에도 불구하고	바쁨에도 불구하고

에도 불구하고 means despite / in spite of that noun situation — a formal despite frame.

It attaches to a noun (or noun-like chunk): 비에도 불구하고, 반대에도 불구하고. Clause-length despite often grows into -는데도 불구하고.

Why this is hard

English despite wants a noun; Korean learners then glue 불구하고 onto bare verbs and invent broken strings. The taught core here is N에도 불구하고. Soft spoken even though is often -는데도 without the heavy 불구하고.

What it does

You name an obstacle or contrary condition, then proceed anyway — in careful speech or writing.

비에도 불구하고 행사가 열렸어요.
반대한데도 불구하고… (clause cousin)
어려움에도 불구하고 끝냈어요.
경고에도 불구하고 나갔어요.

Keep noun + 에도 불구하고 as the clean model for this slot.

Forms

N + 에도 불구하고. Related clause frame: -는데도 불구하고.

When not to use it

Do not use it as café soft even though — -는데도 is lighter.

Do not attach it directly to a raw verb stem without a noun or clause package.

Do not stack it onto every mild contrast; the word 불구하고 already sounds formal.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-는데도	Soft clause even though; no 불구하고 weight.
-는데도 불구하고	Clause + formal despite.
-어도	Stem concession; different shape.

Ask: am I saying formal ‘despite N’? If yes, 에도 불구하고. If you need soft spoken even-though, prefer -는데도.

Do not confuse it with

-는데도 불구하고

even so — despite the whole preceding clause

-는데도

even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만

-아도 / -어도

even if — granting the condition and going ahead anyway

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

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에도 불구하고edo bulguhagodespite…

비birain

어려움eoryeoumdifficulty

성공seonggongsuccess

계속gyesokcontinue

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. The obstacle is a noun — the rain — and you went anyway. Which line attaches the phrase correctly?

2. The obstacle is a whole clause — they were busy — rather than a thing. Which line handles that?

3. Which line uses the nominalised shape the forms table lists?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 불구하다 「002」: in -에도/-음에도 불구하고 (also -ㄴ데도) — not bound by that.

Vs -어도?

-어도 is a clause connective. 에도 불구하고 often rides a noun.

Writing?

Common in careful prose and news.

Vs -는데도?

-는데도 is shorter clause contrast; 불구하고 adds formal weight.