By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter

To become an agent of the presidential security unit, one should be smart, healthy and, most importantly, good at martial arts. One more requirement has been added: English proficiency.

The Presidential Security Service (PSS) said Thursday that all applicants for the test to become its agents should submit their scores of well-known English proficiency tests, such as TOEIC, TOEFL and TEPS, beginning this year.

The measure is part of efforts to ensure better communication with their counterparts during overseas trips by the President and to better protect visiting foreign VIPs from potential threats.

Korea's planned hosting of the summit of the Group of 20 ― the world's 20 major economies ― in November, the biggest diplomatic event ever to be held here, also raises the need for the agency's globalization, it said.

"As Korea is moving to the center of the world, the number of foreign visitors has steadily increased and our President has gone overseas more often," a presidential spokesman said. "In this sense, PSS agents are required to have advanced English skills to provide a better service."

To pass the PSS test, applicants should score at least 700 points on the TOEIC, 625 on the TEPS or 530 on the TOEFL. The agency's requirements are pretty tough compared with ordinary Korean private firms' demands for English test scores for applicants.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr