80,000 to sit Korean proficiency exam

The 19th Test of Proficiency in Korean will take place this weekend, with 81,076 applicants in 24 countries across the world sitting the exam, according to the Education Ministry and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.

The state-administered TOPIK is a certification test on the use of the Korean language for foreigners and ethnic Koreans who do not speak Korean as their mother tongue.

Foreign students or job seekers may submit their test results in order to gain an advantage in joining Korean schools or public firms.

The test was first implemented back in 1997 when only 2,692 people from four countries applied. The accumulative number has, however, reached 710,000 people from 39 countries, reflecting the steadily increasing interest in the Korean language and the test itself, said officials.

In response to the growing demands, the test is to be held from this year on a quarterly basis instead of the formerly bi-annual basis, according to the ministry.

The test is divided into the Standard TOPIK, evaluating basic knowledge of Korean language and culture, and the Business TOPIK, focusing more on the communication skills required in business transactions.

Applicants are to be tested in four categories ― vocabulary and grammar, writing, listening and reading.

“The TOPIK will not only act as an evaluation tool for the use of the Korean language but also as a means to promote the country’s brand value in the global society,” said a ministry official.

Not only Asian countries, in which many people aspire to find jobs in Korea, but also various European countries are joining to take the test every year, officials also said.

The results will be published on the website (http://topik.or.kr) on Nov. 3.
source:Korea Herald