KOREAN NET

The number of times the internet-based format of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) is offered will be doubled next year to six. Shown is a scene from the 81st TOPIK on April 9, 2022, given at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. (Chicago Korean Education Center)

By Gil Kyuyoung

The surging popularity of the Korean language has spurred the Ministry of Education to double the number of times the internet-based test (IBT) of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) is administered abroad.

The ministry on Oct. 10 announced this in its 2025 operating plan for TOPIK.

The number of test takers has nearly doubled this year to 428,585 from 218,869 in 2020.

Given surging global demand for TOPIK, the ministry will double the number of times it administers the online-based test to six per year.

The number of countries where the test is offered will also jump from six to 13 through the addition of the U.S. (Guam), Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Paraguay, Pakistan and Romania.

The paper-based TOPIK, which is conducted separately from the IBT format, is offered six times a year and the speaking test three.

Launched in 1997 to test the Korean-language skills of ethnic Koreans abroad and foreign nationals, TOPIK is used to rate candidates for college study and employment in Korea and the government-sponsored Global Korea Scholarship, as well as shape graduation requirements for Korean majors at universities abroad.

Deputy Minister of Education for Planning and Coordination Park Sung-min said, "To allow assessment of Korean-language proficiency anytime and anywhere, we also plan to set up a digital platform using artificial intelligence."

gilkyuyoung@korea.kr