Korea turns to AI to modernize TOPIK national language exam

Korea’s national Korean language proficiency exam is preparing for a major digital overhaul, introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to draft test questions and grade essays as global demand to learn the language surges. The Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education unveiled a comprehensive strategy Tuesday to modernize the Test of Proficiency in Korean, widely known as TOPIK. The overhaul aims to transition the traditional paper-heavy exam into an AI-driven digital testing platform by 2029, catering to an expanding pool of foreign students, job seekers and workers aiming to establish careers in Korea. Since its launch in 1997 with fewer than 3,000 test-takers across four countries, TOPIK has grown into a crucial gateway for foreign nationals seeking university admission, corporate employment or residency visas in Korea. Annual applicants soared from roughly 329,000 in 2018 to more than 566,000 in 2025, spanning 94 countries. By September, registration had already reached 564,606 — up 10 percent from the same period last year — putting the exam