KoAGE: Do Large Language Models Know, Learn, and Coin Korean Neologisms?

Abstract: Korean neologisms arise through diverse mechanisms, a demanding test of LLMs beyond lexical memorization. To enable systematic evaluation, we introduce NeoTrace, an automated, rerunnable framework that collects and dates neologisms across genres. Its 4,271 entries support KoAGE, a cutoff-aware benchmark with three acquisition and two generation tasks---the latter, to our knowledge, the first to compare model coinages with attested neologisms under their original materials and community context. Across 21 models, lexical recall diverges from contextual inference: in a five-model temporal analysis, models define only 13-30% of cutoff-year words, yet can infer meaning from one usage. However, structural understanding remains limited: even correct definitions barely improve formation analysis of pre-cutoff neologisms. Given word-building materials, single models often follow human formation mechanisms, whereas multi-agent coinage favors abbreviation and depends on interaction framing. KoAGE thus separates what models know, learn from use, and coin.