目錄
Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 means putting so much attention and effort into one thing that there is no room left to deal with anything else. In English, it can often be translated as “be preoccupied with,” “be busy dealing with,” or “be so occupied with something that there is no time for anything else.” It carries more pressure than the simple 「바쁘다」.
When you see 「회사는 민원을 처리하기에 급급했어요」, the point is not merely that the company had a lot of work. Rather, handling complaints had already consumed all of its attention, leaving no capacity to investigate the causes or make follow-up improvements. This expression often appears in news reports, workplace reviews, and discussions involving disputes over responsibility. When it follows actions such as avoiding, concealing, or making excuses, the critical tone becomes more pronounced.
What does Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 mean? Start with the nuance of “having no capacity left”
The key point of 「-기에 급급하다」 is that one thing has already consumed a person’s attention and energy, leaving no room to take care of anything else. When it follows expressions such as 「시험을 준비하다」 or 「먹고살다」, it usually just describes real-life pressure. When it follows 「책임을 피하다」「실수를 숨기다」「변명하다」, the critical nuance becomes much clearer.
If it is translated simply as “very busy,” the sense that “there is no capacity left for anything else” can easily be lost. Depending on the context, it can also be translated as “be barely able to keep up with…,” “be concerned only with…,” or “be occupied with dealing with…”.
「-기에 급급하다」 attachment rules: Verb + 기에 + 급급하다
「-기에 급급하다」 consists of the nominalizing ending 「-기」, the particle 「에」, and the adjective 「급급하다」. The attachment pattern is 「verb stem＋기에 급급하다」. Depending on the sentence, it can also appear as 「급급해요」「급급했어요」 or 「급급해서」.
| Form | Attachment pattern | Example |
| Basic form | Verb stem＋기에 급급하다 | 처리하다 → 처리하기에 급급하다 |
| Another common form | Verb＋는 데(에) 급급하다 | 처리하는 데 급급하다 |
| Past tense | Verb stem＋기에 급급했다 | 수습하기에 급급했다 |
| Connective form | Verb stem＋기에 급급해서 | 변명하기에 급급해서 |
「급급하다」 means that almost all of one’s attention and energy are focused on one thing, leaving no capacity to deal with anything else. The pattern itself is not necessarily critical, but when it is paired with actions such as avoiding, concealing, or making excuses, it usually conveys a clearly negative evaluation.
Usage ① of 「-기에 급급하다」｜Being occupied with an immediate problem and unable to deal with anything else
「-기에 급급하다」 is most commonly used to describe a person or organization being chased by an immediate problem. Such sentences usually imply a reactive approach: the person or organization can only patch the immediate problem and does not yet have enough capacity to make comprehensive improvements.
- Example: 회사는 민원을 처리하기 급급했어요.
Romanization: hoe-sa-neun mi-nwo-neul cheo-ri-ha-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The company was occupied with handling customer complaints.
This sentence does not simply mean that the company was busy; it implies that the company was being driven by the complaints. - Example: 팀은 오류를 막기 급급했어요.
Romanization: ti-meun o-ryu-reul mak-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The team was preoccupied with preventing errors.
「막-기에 급급하다」 carries a sense of makeshift damage control, indicating that the situation was not sufficiently stable. - Example: 담당자는 문제를 수습하기 급급했어요.
Romanization: dam-dang-ja-neun mun-je-reul su-seu-pa-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The person in charge was occupied with getting the problem under control.
「수습하기에 급급하다」 often indicates that something has already gone wrong and that the person can only deal with the immediate disorder first.
Usage ② of 「-기에 급급하다」｜Being concerned only with avoiding, concealing, or making excuses
「-기에 급급하다」 is also often used to criticize someone who is unwilling to deal with a problem directly. Expressions such as 「피하기에 급급하다」「숨기기에 급급하다」「변명하기에 급급하다」 are not neutral descriptions; they imply that the direction of the person’s behavior itself is problematic.
- Example: 그 사람은 책임을 피하기 급급했어요.
Romanization: geu sa-ra-meun chaeg-i-meul pi-ha-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: That person was concerned only with avoiding responsibility.
「피하기에 급급하다」 clearly carries criticism. The focus is not on solving the problem, but on avoiding responsibility. - Example: 관리자는 실수를 숨기기 급급했어요.
Romanization: gwal-li-ja-neun sil-su-reul sum-gi-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The manager was desperate to conceal the mistake.
「숨기-기에 급급하다」 is often used to criticize a lack of transparency. - Example: 회의에서는 변명하기 급급한 말만 나왔어요.
Romanization: hoe-ui-e-seo-neun byeon-myeong-ha-gi geup-geu-pan mal-man na-wa-sseo-yo
Translation: The meeting produced nothing but remarks focused on making excuses.
This sentence indicates that the discussion did not move toward improvement and remained at the level of making excuses.
Usage ③ of 「-기에 급급하다」｜Focusing only on short-term results while neglecting fundamental solutions
In commentary or news contexts, 「-기에 급급하다」 is often used to describe policies, companies, or teams that focus only on short-term results. It implies that many actions may be taking place in the moment, but the truly important problems are not being addressed.
- Example: 당국은 비난을 피하기 급급했어요.
Romanization: dang-gu-geun bi-na-neul pi-ha-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The authorities were concerned only with avoiding criticism.
This sentence is common in commentary and suggests that the response was focused on protecting appearances. - Example: 회사는 매출을 올리기 급급했어요.
Romanization: hoe-sa-neun mae-chu-reul ol-li-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The company was focused only on increasing sales.
If the following context mentions problems with quality or service, the sentence becomes a criticism of a short-term-oriented approach. - Example: 학교는 결과를 보여 주기 급급했어요.
Romanization: hak-gyo-neun gyeol-gwa-reul bo-yeo ju-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
Translation: The school was focused only on showing results.
This sentence implies that outward results were prioritized while the actual substance may have been neglected.
What is the difference between Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 and 「바쁘다」? Nuance comparison table
| Comparison | 바쁘다 | -기에 급급하다 |
| Basic meaning | Busy | Busy dealing with something, urgently focused on doing something |
| Tone | Neutral | Mostly negative |
| Focus | Having little time or many things to do | Reactive, short-sighted, lacking capacity |
| Correct example | 일이 많아서 바빠요 | 문제를 수습하기 급급해요 |
▌「바쁘다」 only means being busy, while 「-기에 급급하다」 also implies being unable to take care of anything else
❌ Less precise:회사는 민원을 처리하느라 바빴어요.
✅ Critical tone:회사는 민원을 처리하기 급급했어요.
The first sentence simply means the company was busy, while the second implies that the company could only reactively handle complaints and was unable to solve the underlying problem.
▌「-기에 급급하다」 can describe being busy studying, but it does not mean praising someone’s effort
❌ Unnatural:학생은 공부하기 급급했어요.
✅ Natural:학생은 공부에 힘썼어요.
If the intention is to praise someone’s effort, 「힘쓰다」 or 「노력하다」 is more natural than 「급급하다」.
How is Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 actually used? Workplace and commentary situations
「-기에 급급하다」 often appears in situations where a certain way of handling something is being criticized. It is suitable for meeting reviews, news commentary, and retrospectives on workplace problems, and it is also often heard in Korean drama lines involving attempts to shift responsibility.
▌Situation ①｜There are so many complaints that handling them alone leaves no capacity for anything else
A：요즘 회사 분위기가 왜 이렇게 안 좋아요?
yo-jeum hoe-sa bun-wi-gi-ga wae i-reo-ke an jo-a-yo
Why has the atmosphere at the company been so bad lately?
B：민원을 처리하기 급급해서 제대로 쉬지도 못해요.
mi-nwo-neul cheo-ri-ha-gi geup-geu-pae-seo je-dae-ro swi-ji-do mo-tae-yo
I’m so occupied with handling complaints that I can’t even get proper rest.
📌 Grammar Point: 「처리하기 급급해서」 indicates being overwhelmed by an immediate problem.
▌Situation ②｜Focusing only on filling in material causes the main point of the presentation to become unclear
A：이번 발표는 왜 설득력이 부족했을까요?
i-beon bal-pyo-neun wae seol-deuk-ryeo-gi bu-jo-kae-sseul-kka-yo
Why was this presentation not persuasive enough?
B：자료를 채우기 급급해서 핵심이 흐려졌어요.
ja-ryo-reul chae-u-gi geup-geu-pae-seo haek-si-mi heu-ryeo-jyeo-sseo-yo
We were so focused on filling in the material that the main point became unclear.
📌 Grammar Point: 「채우기에 급급하다」 means doing a lot on the surface while failing to focus on the substance.
▌Situation ③｜After something goes wrong, the person rushes to avoid responsibility instead of explaining properly
A：문제가 생긴 뒤에 제대로 설명했어요?
mun-je-ga saeng-gin dwi-e je-dae-ro seol-myeong-hae-sseo-yo
Did they explain things properly after the problem occurred?
B：아니요. 책임을 피하기 급급했어요.
a-ni-yo. chaeg-i-meul pi-ha-gi geup-geu-pae-sseo-yo
No. They were concerned only with avoiding responsibility.
📌 Grammar Point: 「피하기에 급급하다」 carries a strongly negative evaluation. The problem lies in the attitude toward handling the situation.
Cultural Notes:
- In news or commentary contexts, 「-기에 급급하다」 is often used to describe an approach that focuses only on dealing with the immediate situation. When the preceding verb is 「피하다」「숨기다」 or 「변명하다」, it usually carries a more explicit critical tone.
- In workplace contexts, this pattern can describe a team being busy putting out fires and temporarily having no capacity for follow-up improvements. If it is translated simply as “busy,” the meaning that “there is no room to deal with anything else” may be lost.
- 「시험을 준비하기에 급급하다」 and 「먹고살기에 급급하다」 do not necessarily express criticism. These sentences mainly describe pressure from life, exams, or work. The negative feeling comes from the circumstances rather than from an evaluation of the person’s behavior.
How does Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 compare with Japanese 「〜に追われる／〜ばかりだ」?
◆ Similar grammar: Japanese 「〜に追われる」「〜ばかりだ」
Japanese 「〜に追われる」 can mean being chased or overwhelmed by something, while 「〜ばかりだ」 can mean doing nothing but a certain thing. In some contexts, both can express a feeling similar to Korean 「-기에 급급하다」.
- Example: クレーム対応に追われています。
Kana: くれーむたいおうにおわれています。
Translation: I’m overwhelmed with handling complaints.
Like 「민원을 처리하기에 급급하다」, this sentence conveys the sense of being pressed by a problem. - Example: 言い訳ばかりしています。
Kana: いいわけばかりしています。
Translation: They keep doing nothing but making excuses.
Like 「변명하기에 급급하다」, this sentence carries criticism.
◆ Core difference from 「-기에 급급하다」:
Japanese 「〜に追われる」 focuses more on passive busyness, while 「〜ばかりだ」 focuses on doing only one thing. Korean 「-기에 급급하다」 often combines urgency, short-sightedness, and negative evaluation. When translating it, the critical nuance should also be preserved.
A useful way to remember 「-기에 급급하다」 is: “Handling this one thing alone already leaves no room for anything else.” If the sentence merely means that the schedule is full or there is a lot to do, 「바쁘다」 is usually enough. If you want to express that one thing has consumed all of someone’s attention and left no capacity for anything else—whether because of work, exams, pressure in daily life, or an attempt to avoid responsibility—「-기에 급급하다」 can be used.
When reading news or watching dramas, pay attention to the verb that comes before it. With 「수습하다」, the situation is usually about cleaning up disorder; with 「시험을 준비하다」, it mainly describes pressure; with 「피하다」 or 「변명하다」, the criticism becomes more pronounced. Judging it this way is closer to the original nuance than memorizing the entire pattern simply as “very busy” or “negatively dealing with something.”
FAQs
「-기에 급급하다」 means being occupied with or urgently focused on doing something, and it often carries a negative evaluation. It frequently implies focusing only on the immediate issue, reacting passively, or lacking a fundamental solution.
「바쁘다」 neutrally means being busy, whereas 「-기에 급급하다」 means being so busy that one is merely reacting to the situation. The latter usually carries criticism and should not casually be used to praise someone’s effort.
Yes, although it is slightly more formal than ordinary casual conversation. It works well when discussing workplaces, responsibility, problem handling, or commenting on events.
In most contexts, it tends to sound negative. It expresses urgently dealing with something or focusing only on one thing, often creating the impression that there is little room to spare or that the person’s judgment is not sufficiently thorough.
Common combinations include 「피하기에 급급하다」「숨기기에 급급하다」「처리하기에 급급하다」「수습하기에 급급하다」「변명하기에 급급하다」.