Over 34,000 applications for Korean Language proficiency test

Rasika Somarathna

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has distributed 34,200 applications to job aspirants who wish to sit for the Korean Language proficiency test in October.

The 10th Korean Language Proficiency test will be held on October 13,14. Only those who pass the test could apply for jobs in Korea via the Employment Permit System (EPS) agreed upon by the two governments.

The test is jointly organized by the SLBFE and the Korean Human Resources Development Authority.

The application distribution took place from August 20 at 25 in centres island wide.

According to the SLBFE, the marks obtained at the exam will be used to choose 5,000 candidates.

The chosen will have to pass a medical test and also successfully complete the training provided by the SLBFE and Korean trainers to be eligible for employment opportunities.

In 2011, 9,998 applicants passed the test and 2,460 from among them have left for jobs in South Korea.

The number of Sri Lankan's migrating for jobs in South Korea have increased considerably in recent times.

Last year, 5,346 persons migrated for employment to Korea and the figure is expected to exceed 9,000 this year.

Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Sri Lanka has become the top labour sending country to the South Korean job market. Korean authorities said Sri Lanka's top ranking status was due to efficiency and the innovativeness of workers and transparency of the authorities.

Sri Lanka was rejected by the Korean job market a few years ago, due to the high number of complaints received against its workers.

The SLBFE and the Foreign Employment Ministry at the time took swift remedial measures to arrest the decline and improve the standard of workers. Over 25,000 Sri Lankans are currently employed in South Korea.