Despite

This pattern expresses that an action or state in the main clause occurs despite the fact or situation described in the first clause. It's equivalent to "despite," "in spite of," or "even though" in English, and it emphasizes the contrast between the two clauses.

Formation

This pattern attaches to verb and adjective stems, as well as nouns.

Verb/Adjective Stems: Add -(으)ㅁ to the stem to turn it into a noun form, then add 에도 불구하고.

Stems ending in a vowel or ㄹ: Add -ㅁ (e.g., 비싸다 → 비쌈, 만들다 → 만듦)

Stems ending in a consonant: Add -음 (e.g., 싫다 → 싫음, 많다 → 많음)

Nouns: Add 임에도 불구하고.

e.g., 부상 (injury) → 부상임에도 불구하고

Past Tense: Add -았/었- to the stem before adding 음.

e.g., 노력하다 → 노력했음, 공부하다 → 공부했음

비쌈에도 불구하고 샀어. / 노력했음에도 불구하고 망했어요. / 부상임에도 불구하고 참석했어.

While -(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고 means "despite," Korean has other, more common conversational patterns that express a similar idea. The choice depends on formality and nuance.

vs. -(으)ㄴ/는데도

-(으)ㄴ/는데도 is very common in spoken Korean. It also means "even though" or "despite the fact that," but it feels more conversational and can carry a nuance of surprise or mild complaint.

-(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고: More formal, emphatic. Focuses on overcoming the obstacle.

공부했음에도 불구하고 떨어졌어. (I failed despite having studied.)

-(으)ㄴ/는데도: More conversational, natural for everyday speech.

공부했는데도 떨어졌어. (I studied, but I still failed.)

vs. -아/어도

-아/어도 means "even if" or "even though." It's also very common in conversation and is generally the most versatile and neutral option.

비가 옴에도 불구하고 경기를 계속했어요. (Despite the rain, they continued the game.)

비가 와도 경기를 계속했어요. (Even though it rained, they continued the game.)

Tip: Use -(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고 when you want to sound more formal or add extra emphasis to the contrast. For most daily situations, -(으)ㄴ/는데도 or -아/어도 will sound more natural.