Uncertainty of Korean Language Test this years worries prospective Nepali migrants

KATHMANDU: Thousands of Nepalis preparing for the Korean Language Test to travel to South Korea are worried lately as the date for the examination of the Korean language is yet to be set.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, dates for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), which would normally be announced in April-May, have not been published so far this year.

As per officials of the Department of Foreign Employment, the Korean government has not proposed the date for the language test this year. As the result, thousands of Nepali youths who had been preparing for the test since long are seen worried lately.

Meanwhile, a recent meeting of the South Korean Government’s Migrant Workers Quota Determination Committee has decided to take 52,000 migrant workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) for 2021.

The workers will be taken to South Korea from 16 other countries including Nepal. This number is 4,000 less than the number set in 2020. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, among the total quota set for 2020 — 56,000, a total of 30,909 migrant workers could not be able to reach Korea this year.

According to the committee, out of 52,000, a total of 37,700 will be taken to the manufacturing sector, 6,400 in the agriculture sector, 3,000 in the fisheries sector, 1,800 in the construction sector, and 100 in the service sector.

Out of this quota, 40,000 new workers will be able to go to Korea while the remaining 12,000 committed workers will get reentry into Korea for employment. It has been said that 22,000 employment licenses will be issued by April.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour, during the covid-19 pandemic more than 1.5 million migrant workers in South Korea have been deprived of salary that was mentioned in the contract they have reached with the employers beforehand. There are approximately 50,000 Nepali migrant workers in the country at this moment.