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Closely related to the topic of old and new information is the way Korean expresses existence and possession, which we will now explore. Existential constructions in English are formed with “there,” followed by a form of the verb “be,” the entity that exists, and a place:

There is an apple [on the table].

There is an apple [on a table].

[탁자에] 사과가 있어요.

In Korean, typical existential constructions consist of three elements: a place, a subject with its case marker and a verb. As mentioned, “탁자에” may be omitted when it is contextually clear. While English is obligatorily marks an entity’s definiteness, the bare noun “탁자 (table)” is determined and interpreted as specific or indefinite depending on the given context. Thus, “탁자에 사과가 있어요” can be translated as either “There is an apple on the table” or “There is an apple on a table.”

Meanwhile, from a linguistic perspective, the function of existential constructions is to introduce new information into the conversation. In other words, an existential statement consists entirely of new information. Let’s say that two people are having a conversation:

민수 (Minsu): [우리] 퇴근하고 차나 한잔 할까요? – Shall we grab a cup of tea after work?

유리 (yuri): 저녁은 어때요? 회사 앞에 괜찮은 데가 있거든요. – How about dinner? There’s a decent place in front of the office.

민수 (Minsu): 아, 거기 본 적 있어요. – Ah, I’ve seen that place.

“회사 앞에 (in front of the office)” is a place, “괜찮은 데 (a decent place)” is a subject, and “있-” is a verb meaning “to be” or “to exist.” The entire sentence “회사 앞에 괜찮은 데가 있-” introduces a new information into the conversation because 유리 (Yuri) assumes that 민수 (Minsu) does not already know it or that there is still a small chance that 민수 already knew it. Consequently, “회사 앞에 괜찮은 데가 있거든요 (There is a decent place in front of the office)” provides new information that helps carry on the conversation. Let us delve another conversation:

민수 (Minsu): 유리 님, 지금 시간 있어요? – Yuri, got a minute?

유리 (Yuri): 조금 바쁜데, 이따가 얘기할까요? – I’m a bit busy. Can we talk later?

민수 (Minsu): 사실 지금 [로비에] 유리 님을 찾는 사람이 있는데… – Actually, there’s someone looking for you in the lobby right now…

유리 (Yuri): 잠깐만, 저를요? 누가요? – Wait, [Someone’s looking for] me? Who is it?

As a matter of fact, the meaning of the verb “있-” is determined and interpreted based on the flow of conversation or context, it can mean “to be” / “to exist,” which denotes the subject’s existence or “to have,” which denotes the subject’s possession.

The verb “있-,” as in “시간 있어요?,” is interpreted as “to have.” In real-life conversations, possessive constructions in Korean often appear with the possessor—which is the grammatical subject—omitted, followed by the possession without a marker.

On the other hand, “로비에 유리 님을 찾는 사람이 있-,” the existential statement, is formed with “로비에 (in the lobby),” a place; “유리 님을 찾는 사람 (someone who looks for you, Yuri)”, a subject with the subject case marker “-이/-가”; and “있-,” a verb.