Candidates who pass the exam are eligible to apply for jobs and will be required to furnish medical report and letter of no objection issued by the police along with their visa application

Kathmandu, September 19

A total of 22,611 applicants appeared for the Korean Language Test, today, the first day of the exam. The test is a basic requirement to go to South Korea for employment under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

EPS Korea Section of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) said that 25,570 applicants were supposed to appear for today’s exam. However, 2,959 individuals did not take part in the exam. During the application called for the sixth language test in April, a total of 51,137 individuals had applied. The remaining applicants will appear for the exam on Sunday.

“Around 3,000 applicants were absent for the exam today. It may be because of the rescheduling of the exam date due to the earthquake and ongoing unrest in Tarai,” said Dilli Ram Bastola, chief of the EPS Korea Section. He added that 17 fake examinees, including a few females, were arrested from different exam centres today.

A 52-member team of HRD Korea is in Nepal to conduct the two-day language test scheduled for September 19 and 20 in 18 centres (15 in Kathmandu and three in Pokhara). For 2015, South Korea has provided a quota of 7,100 workers to Nepal and those to be selected from selection procedure will be able to leave for jobs starting January 2016.

Korean firms will hire 4,900 in manufacturing and 2,200 in agriculture sectors, according to Bastola. As of 2014, a total of 28,453 individuals, including 1,723 females, have received the opportunity to work in Korea under the EPS. Nepal and Korea had signed an agreement for EPS provision in 2007. Some 1,000 individuals who were selected in 2013 and 2014 are awaiting to go to Korea for jobs.

Amid the growing interest of Nepali youths in EPS job, State Minister of Labour and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung during his recent visit to South Korea had also requested to increase the quota for Nepal. Comparatively good salary, worker-friendly labour laws and facilities, no discrimination among local and migrant workers, and provision of re-entry to Korea for work, among others are some of the major features that have attracted Nepali youths for EPS jobs.

Nepali workers are earning at least Rs 110,000 a month and the Korean government has already decided to increase the minimum salary of workers to around Rs 117,000 from 2016. The EPS Korea Section said the result of the language test is scheduled to be published on October 8. Those who pass the language test are eligible to apply for employment and they will be required to furnish medical report and letter of no objection issued by the police along with their visa application.

Meanwhile, Kim Pyung Hee, vice president of HRD Service of Korea, today, handed over a voucher of $3,430 to Bharat Raj Subedi, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment, which was deposited in the bank account of Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. Kim is also the coordinator of the ongoing language test. The support was made by Changwon Support Centre for Foreign Workers Korea for victims of the April and May earthquakes.