Korea turns to AI to modernize TOPIK national language exam

Korea’s Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education will modernize TOPIK with AI, moving the Korean language exam toward a digital platform by 2029. The plan responds to surging global demand, rising cheating risks, and criticism that the current test no longer reflects practical language use. Security will tighten immediately, and a reform committee will draft a new framework by June 2027.

Annual TOPIK applicants rose from about 329,000 in 2018 to more than 566,000 in 2025, spanning 94 countries.

By September, registration had reached 564,606, up 10 percent from the same period last year, putting the exam on track to exceed 1 million test-takers by 2030.

The ministry plans to release the 2027 test schedule with 15 exam cycles: six paper-based tests, six internet-based tests and three speaking evaluations.

Legal penalties for severe cheating cases, including proxy test-taking, question leaks and ID forgery, will include a mandatory five-year ban from taking the exam.

Published Sep 29, 2026 2:51 pm KST

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 on track to eventually cross the 1-million mark by 2030.

However, the current testing framework, developed in 2014, has struggled to keep pace with changing language dynamics and modern security threats.

Universities have voiced concerns that heavily memorized preparation strategies fail to reflect practical communication skills. Meanwhile, administrators face increasingly sophisticated cheating schemes, including micro-earpieces and smart glasses embedded with AI.

To address these challenges, the ministry will establish a reform committee next month to draft a redesigned framework by June 2027. Following pilot runs in 2028, the revamped digital system will launch in 2029 and will feature automated question generation and AI scoring models, paired with mandatory human expert reviews to ensure accuracy. The ministry also plans a gradual rollout of "TOPIK Home Test," allowing applicants to sit for lower-level exams from their residences.

Security measures will tighten immediately.

Legal penalties for severe infractions — such as proxy test-taking, question leaks and ID forgery — will carry a mandatory five-year ban from taking the exam, effectively blocking offenders from submitting language credentials to Korean universities. Test centers will deploy signal detectors to catch unauthorized Bluetooth and Wi-Fi transmissions, while test variants will be staggered across global time zones to prevent live paper leaks.

Alongside the long-term reforms, officials released the 2027 test schedule, which includes 15 exam cycles — six paper-based tests, six internet-based tests and three speaking evaluations.

"TOPIK plays a pivotal role in evaluating the Korean language capabilities of global talent coming to our country," said Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin. "By introducing AI and modernizing test administration, we will support the active use of the Korean language worldwide."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国教育部和国立国际教育研究院将利用人工智能技术对韩国语考（TOPIK）进行现代化改造，力争在2029年前实现韩语考试的数字化。此举旨在应对全球日益增长的需求、不断攀升的作弊风险以及外界对现有考试已无法反映实际语言运用能力的批评。考试安全措施将立即加强，改革委员会将于2027年6月前制定新的考试框架。

预计到 2025 年，TOPIK 年度申请人数将从 2018 年的约 329,000 人增加到超过 566,000 人，申请人数涵盖 94 个国家。

截至 9 月，注册人数已达 564,606 人，比去年同期增长 10%，预计到 2030 年，该考试的考生人数将超过 100 万人。

教育部计划发布 2027 年考试时间表，其中包括 15 个考试周期：6 次纸笔考试、6 次网络考试和 3 次口语评估。

对于严重的作弊行为，包括代考、泄题和伪造身份证，将依法处以五年强制禁考的处罚。

发布于2026年9月29日下午2:51（韩国标准时间）

随着全球学习韩语的需求激增，韩国全国韩语水平考试正准备进行重大数字化改革，引入人工智能（AI）来编写考试题目和批改作文。

韩国教育部和国立国际教育研究院周二公布了一项全面战略，旨在对韩国语能力考试（TOPIK）进行现代化改造。

此次改革旨在到 2029 年将传统的纸质考试转变为人工智能驱动的数字考试平台，以满足越来越多希望在韩国发展事业的外国学生、求职者和工作者的需求。

自1997年推出以来，TOPIK考试已从最初仅有四个国家3000名考生参加，发展成为外国公民赴韩攻读大学、企业就业或申请居留签证的重要途径。2018年，TOPIK的年度申请人数约为32.9万人，预计到2025年将超过56.6万人，考生来自94个国家。截至9月份，报名人数已达564,606人，比去年同期增长10%，有望在2030年突破100万大关。

然而，目前的测试框架是在 2014 年开发的，它难以跟上不断变化的语言动态和现代安全威胁。

各大学纷纷表示担忧，认为死记硬背的备考策略无法体现实际的沟通技巧。与此同时，校方也面临着日益复杂的作弊手段，包括微型耳机和内置人工智能的智能眼镜。

为应对这些挑战，教育部将于下月成立改革委员会，负责在2027年6月前制定新的框架。经过2028年的试点运行后，改进后的数字化系统将于2029年正式上线，该系统将采用自动生成试题和人工智能评分模型，并辅以强制性的专家人工审核，以确保准确性。教育部还计划逐步推出“TOPIK居家考试”，允许考生在家参加较低级别的考试。

安保措施将立即加强。

对于严重违规行为——例如代考、泄露考题和伪造身份证——将处以五年强制禁考，从而有效阻止违规者向韩国大学提交语言成绩证明。考点将部署信号检测器，以检测未经授权的蓝牙和Wi-Fi传输；考试版本将错开全球时区，以防止试卷泄露。

除了长期改革之外，官员们还公布了 2027 年的考试时间表，其中包括 15 个考试周期——6 次纸笔考试、6 次网络考试和 3 次口语评估。

“TOPIK考试在评估来我国的全球人才的韩语能力方面发挥着关键作用，”教育部长崔教镇表示，“通过引入人工智能和改进考试管理，我们将支持韩语在世界范围内的积极使用。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。