Chances to take Korean language test overseas to double next year

People take the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) at a university in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times file

Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) opportunities will double next year for people outside the country, according to the Ministry of Education, Wednesday.

The ministry said the number of opportunities to take the TOPIK overseas will increase to eight next year from the current four.

This is a follow-up measure for the ministry’s “Study Korea 300K Project,” under which the country aims to attract 300,000 foreign students to study at domestic universities by 2027.

The ministry announced the project in August in a bid to preemptively secure skilled foreign workers for high-tech industries and boost the country's global competitiveness.

A decision to increase the overseas availability of the TOPIK was made in response to complaints over a lack of test opportunities despite rising demand.

The ministry also plans to expand the opportunities for the paper-based TOPIK test to more than 90 countries and internet-based testing to 10 countries next year.

“We will drastically expand the test availability in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and India where demand for studying in Korea is high, so students there can be admitted to Korean universities without any troubles,” a ministry official said.

The TOPIK, introduced in 1997, measures the Korean language proficiency of non-native speakers wishing to study at Korean universities or be employed at Korean companies.

The number of test takers surpassed the 400,000 mark for the first time this year on the back of growing global interest in Korea and its language.