80,000 applicants sit for the test of Korean proficiency
The sharp increase in the number of applicants is a reflection of the sweeping interest in Korean culture abroad, often referred to as the “Korean Wave,” especially across neighboring Asian countries. The growth of interest is also attributable to the government’s efforts to improve Korean language education abroad, in such formats as providing diversified Korean education contents and customized textbooks.
First launched in 2007, TOPIK has seen nearly a six-fold increase of test countries and a 26-fold surge of applicants over the years. In order to accommodate the demand, the education ministry and KICE started carrying out the test twice a year starting 2007, in April and September. The April 2007 test was taken by 12,356 applicants at 36 centers in 15 countries. The Fall test will be conducted on September 15~16 at 72 test centers in 23 countries, with an estimated applicant number of 69,258.
Starting this year, the test has added an optional “Business Korean Language Test,” so as to better assess whether an applicant possesses sufficient speaking skills to maintain everyday life in Korea or seek employment in Korean companies. Scores on the test are to be reflected when selecting candidates for the newly established ‘working visit program,’ which enables ethnic Koreans from China and Russia to find employment and freely enter and depart Korea for five years on a H-2 visa status.
Details and updates on the test are provided on the TOPIK homepage(http://topik.or.kr), including level divisions and evaluation criteria, in Korean, English and Japanese. The homepage also provides past years’ test questions/answers in Korean to help the preparation of applicants.
웹사이트: http://www.moe.go.kr
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2008년 2월 20일 16:26
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2008년 2월 18일 16:28