Two sentences, the same event:
고양이가 쥐를 잡았어요 — the cat caught the mouse. 쥐가 고양이에게 잡혔어요 — the mouse was caught by the cat.
The second one moves the mouse into the subject slot and demotes the cat. That is the passive, and Korean has it. What Korean does not have is the English habit of reaching for it constantly.
1 · What the passive is actually for
| Reason | Example | Why active would be worse |
|---|---|---|
| The doer is unknown | 지갑을 잃어버렸어요 · 창문이 깨졌어요 | You do not know who |
| The doer does not matter | 회의가 취소됐어요 | Who cancelled it is not the news |
| The thing affected is the topic | 그 영화는 한국에서 만들어졌어요 | The film is what you are talking about |