The purpose of this study is to clarify the semantic properties of auxiliary postposition ‘seo’ in modern Korean. First, I discuss the distinction between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’. Many Korean linguists tried to explain the difference between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’, but they couldn't draw a distinction between them. In this paper, I insist that ‘seo’ means the existence of someone or something, because ‘seo’ in modern Korean derived from ‘syeo’ in middle Korean, and ‘syeo’ was made by the combination of ‘si-’(existence) and ‘-eo’(completion). Therefore I make a clear distinction between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’ by the existence and the nonexistence. And I can explain the difference between ‘euro’ and ‘euroseo’, ‘ege’ and ‘egeseo’ in the same way. Second, I discuss ‘seo’, which was united with numeral. Most Korean linguists regarded ‘seo’ in this case as a subjective case marker. But I insist that ‘seo’ is an auxiliary postposition that means ‘existence’, and ‘i’ is a subjective case marker in ‘dul-i-seo(둘이서)’. Last, I discuss ‘seo’ in ‘meol-i-seo(멀리서)’. Many Korean linguists regarded ‘meol-i-seo’ as the combination of the adverb ‘meol-i’ and the auxiliary postposition ‘seo’. But I assert that ‘meol-i-seo’ was made by the combination of ‘meol-i’(noun), ‘e’(adverbial case marker) and ‘seo’(auxiliary postposition).

The purpose of this study is to clarify the semantic properties of auxiliary postposition ‘seo’ in modern Korean. First, I discuss the distinction between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’. Many Korean linguists tried to explain the difference between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’, but they couldn't draw a distinction between them. In this paper, I insist that ‘seo’ means the existence of someone or something, because ‘seo’ in modern Korean derived from ‘syeo’ in middle Korean, and ‘syeo’ was made by the combination of ‘si-’(existence) and ‘-eo’(completion). Therefore I make a clear distinction between ‘eseo’ and ‘e’ by the existence and the nonexistence. And I can explain the difference between ‘euro’ and ‘euroseo’, ‘ege’ and ‘egeseo’ in the same way. Second, I discuss ‘seo’, which was united with numeral. Most Korean linguists regarded ‘seo’ in this case as a subjective case marker. But I insist that ‘seo’ is an auxiliary postposition that means ‘existence’, and ‘i’ is a subjective case marker in ‘dul-i-seo(둘이서)’. Last, I discuss ‘seo’ in ‘meol-i-seo(멀리서)’. Many Korean linguists regarded ‘meol-i-seo’ as the combination of the adverb ‘meol-i’ and the auxiliary postposition ‘seo’. But I assert that ‘meol-i-seo’ was made by the combination of ‘meol-i’(noun), ‘e’(adverbial case marker) and ‘seo’(auxiliary postposition).

‘seo’, ‘eseo’, ‘euroseo’, ‘egeseo’, auxiliary postposition, subjective case marker