[Korean grammar] 을지라도/ ㄹ지라도 Expressing Hypothetical Situations

을지라도/ ㄹ지라도 is used when indicating that even if one acknowledges or hypothesizes the situation or state of affairs described in the preceding clause, the situation in the following clause either won’t be affected by it, or the opposite result will occur. It is used when emphasizing the meaning of the following clause over the preceding clause and is often used together with the word 비록 or 아무리.

가: ‘세월’이라는 영화 봤어요? 멜로드라마의 여주인공만 도맡아 하던 박혜경 씨가 할머니 역으로 나오던데요.
Have you seen the movie Sewol? Park Hyekyung, who has always taken leading heroine roles in melodramas, plays the grandmother.
나: 그 역이 영화에서 아주 중요한 실마리를 가진 역할인데 비중도 적은 데다가 치매 환자 역할이라서 처음엔 그 역할 맡는 것을 꺼려했다고 하더라고요.
That role, despite being an important part of the storyline, is a relatively minor one, and, moreover, since her character suffers from Alzheimer’s, I heard that she was hesitant to accept the part.
가: 비록 관객들의 평은 엇갈릴 수 있을지라도 연기 변신을 시도했다는 점에서 저는 좋은 점수를 주고 싶어요.
Even if it gets mixed reviews from moviegoers, I still want to give her points for trying out a different role and changing her acting style.
나: 저도요. 이미지 관리에 연연하는 몇몇 여배우들과는 달리 자기 모습이 흉하게 나올지라도 혼신의 힘을 다해 연기를 하는 모습에 박혜경이라는 배우를 다시 보게 되었어요.
Me too. We are seeing Park Hyekyung again because she is not like all of those other actresses who stay fixated on their image. Rather, she pours every ounce of her energy into doing the best acting she can do even if she’s playing an awkward, unflattering role.

• 어떤 어려움이 닥칠지라도 낙망하지 않고 꿈을 이루기 위해 노력하겠습니다.
No matter what hardships I may encounter, I will not lose hope and will work to realize my dreams.

• 비록 승산은 없을지라도 도전도 해 보지 않고 포기한다는 건 말이 안 돼.
Even if there may be no chance of winning, it makes no sense to quit without even trying.

• 비록 하 선생님은 우리의 곁을 떠났을지라도 그분의 정신은 우리들의 마음속에 영원히 남 있을 거예요.
Even though Mr. Ha is no longer with us, his spirit will forever remain in our hearts.

While this expression is similar in meaning to -아도/어도 and -더라도, they have the following differences.