Korean language test in high demand thanks to Korean Wave

The popularity of TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) is soaring across the world thanks to the Korean Wave.

“The scale of the 46th TOPIK, which was held on April 16 and 17, was larger than ever with 72,295 people applying for the test from 45 countries,” announced the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) on Monday. TOPIK is a test organized over six times a year by the Education Ministry and NIIED for foreigners and Koreans residing overseas trying to enter local universities or get permanent residency or working visa in Korea.

When the test was first introduced in 1997, some 2,692 people from four countries (Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan) applied. The number of applicants jumped as Korea’s international stature increased during the mid 2000 on the back of the soaring popularity of Korean pop music and TV dramas. After surpassing the 10,000 mark in 2003, the number of applicants has been soaring ever since with 82,611 applying for the test in 2007, 189,261 in 2009, and 206,768 in 2015. The scale grew by more than 70 times over the last 20 years.

The nationality of applicants has also expanded up to 71, with a total of 1.69 million and 456 people having undergone the Korean language test so far. In 2014, the test was conducted in Cuba, a country that Korea has yet to establish diplomatic relations with. The education ministry announced that TOPIK will be introduced in Bolivia, Jamaica, and Poland in the latter half of the year. “At college, more Korean language courses are established, and many are studying Korean independently as a growing number of youth in Morocco are showing a keen interest in Korean culture,” said an official from Morocco which hosted the TOPIK test for the first time this year.

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