KOREAN NET

The standard Korean-language textbook for those studying for the Employment Permit System-Test of Proficiency in Korean has been revised for the first time in 11 years. Vol. 1 (left) is for Korean used in daily life and Vo. 2 is for that used at work. (Human Resources Development Service of Korea)

By Margareth Theresia

The textbook for foreign workers taking the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) has been revised for the first time in 11 years.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK) on Dec. 23 said it revamped the standard textbook for those studying Korean for the Employment Permit System (EPS)-TOPIK.

The textbook is for those preparing for the reading and listening sections of the EPS-TOPIK, the first test of the country's comprehensive point system for foreign worker selection, in which the individual competency factors of candidates are used to choose laborers with proven work capacity.

The biggest change of this revision is clear differentiation between Korean for daily life and that for work, allowing foreign workers to specifically learn the language necessary for both purposes.

The number of job-related chapters was also raised from 10 to 18. Job training content focused on occupational safety and health was also more than doubled in volume from the last edition.

The EPS allows small and medium companies to hire foreign staff with government permission. Under this system, the HRDK selects holders of the E-9 (non-professional employee) visa and hires outstanding candidates based on TOPIK score, skills tests and work competency evaluations.

The revised textbook will be distributed as a booklet in 17 countries sending workers under the EPS to help foreign job seekers study the language.

The HRDK will also provide the textbook free on its official website (https://epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr/epstopik).

margareth@korea.kr