Group 5 presentation

Egypt Holds First Korean Language Test
A Korean language test was held Saturday for the first time in the North African region. A total of 122 students participated in the examination that took place at Ain Shams University in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The 180-minute exam consisted of vocabulary, grammar, writing and listening. Egypt reportedly has three high-level educational institutes that offer Korean language courses. A in Shams University, where the test took place last weekend, opened a Korean Department in 2005, the first independent department in the Middle East. It's expected to bear its first alumni ― approximately 20 ― this year.
According to the Korea Foundation, Korean is also taught at universities in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Iran and Jordan as part of East Asian and language studies. Kim Joo-hee, a full-time professor at Ain Sham University, was quoted as saying, ``It is a result of the interest that has surged in recent years. Sustaining the interest, the institute will initiate a post-graduate program starting this fall.'' Kim attributed the surge to the Korean cultural wave that hit the country in 2004. In the midst of the hallyu (Korean wave) boom, ``Autumn Fairytale'' and ``Winter Sonata'' were aired, and ``My Lovely Sam-soon'' was shown last year. Yonhap also reported that a large number of students registered for Korean language lessons offered by the Korean Cultural Center, an affiliate of the Korean Embassy in Egypt, this year. Park Jae-yang, a Korean diplomat in Egypt, said, ``Not only cultural products, but also commercial commodities made by Korea, have given rise to a Korean language boom in Egypt.'' In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Korea Foundation has spearheaded the promotion of Korean language and Korean studies around the world. It offers scholarships to intellectuals who wish to come to Korea to study Korean. It also trains Korean scholars and dispatches them overseas to teach, and hosts Korean studies forums annually in cooperation with Korean universities.


Korean Proficiency Test Getting More Popularity
The number of foreigners taking Korean proficiency tests has been on the rise.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Sunday the increase demonstrates the fact that the Korean language is gaining acknowledgement around the world. The number of applications for the 15th session of the Test of Proficiency in Korean, as known as TOPIK, to be held from April 18 to 19, totaled 96,141 people from 25 countries including China, Japan, the United States and Korea. The number is about a 40 percent jump from a year ago.Chinese took the lion's share of 76,298, with Koreans, Japanese, Americans and Uzbekistanis following with 9,527, 4,512, 1,568 and 988, respectively.
A law was revised in 2007 obliging Chinese to take the test to get a work visa here. ``More countries are also selecting Korean language subjects at school and since many foreign students visit Korean schools, it's quite natural that the test is getting popular,'' it said.
TOPIK was adopted in 1997 for foreigners or ethnic Koreans who didn't know the language. The annual test started with a modest number of 2,274 applicants in 1997, but soon expanded to be taken in 25 countries with 97 regions. This year, tests are taken every six months. Pakistan, the Czech Republic and Egypt are the most recent countries to have the test. The government plans to integrate another Korean proficiency test, the EPS-KLT for migrant workers visiting under the employment permit system, and to make TOPIK a competitive brand such as TOEIC, Test of English for International Communication, or TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language.
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1.Why the Korean Proficiency Test is held?
2.How the test is held in?
3.Korean boom in Egypt What is the reason why this happens?
4.Korean Proficiency Test, an increasing number of applicants, what reason do you think?
5.How to make a contribution to the development of the korea Foundation?