~게 되다 and 고 말다
* ~게 되다 - Come to a certain action or state. May be used for both good and bad outcome.
* ~고 말다 - finish, call it off in certain way. Usually used for something undesirable or done away with once and for all.
말다 means "to choose not to", so ~고 말다 has the sense of "no more" or "the end of something", unlike ~게 되다.
말다 is also more decisive, and often puts an end to the subject, while ~게 되다 might be followed with more details.
Examples:
- 그는 최우수상을 수상하게 되었다 - He came to be awarded with the grand prize.
- 그 해에 난 전학을 가게 되었다 - That year I ended up transferring to a different school.
- 2년 간의 투병도 헛되이 그는 죽고 말았다 - After 2 years of valiant fight, he finally succumbed to the illness.
- 월급은 적고 일은 많아서 그만두고 말았어 - I quit because the pay was no good and the work was too much.