Korean language proficiency test center opened in Arizona, USA... "The number of applicants is increasing."

The Korean Education Center in Los Angeles said it will open the Test of Proficiency in Korean and TOPIK at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona.

The LA Korean Education Center explained that the number of applicants for the Korean language proficiency test increased in the United States for the purpose of studying in Korea or finding employment in Korean-related companies.At the LA Korean Education Center, the only test site in the southwestern region of

, 356 applicants from 14 states in the United States and two Latin American countries, including Mexico, visited and took the test this year.

The LA Korean Education Center explained that it has been considering setting up a new test center in Arizona, where the demand for Korean language education is stable and expanding, with two universities with Korean and Korean language majors installed and 12 Korean language schools (426 students) operating on weekends.

The first test will be held on April 12th next year at the ASU test site.

The Korean Education Center in LA plans to gradually increase the number of implementations as it sees the trend of the size of the exam in the future.

Ebru Tucker, a Korean language professor at ASU's Department of International Language and Literature, said, "Students who have started learning Korean from their interest in Korean culture, such as K-pop, have recently learned more Korean for career development such as studying in Korea and finding employment. Students are very interested in the Korean language test."

Kang Jeon-hoon, head of the Korean Education Center in LA, said, "We expect the heat of learning Korean to spread to the Midwest of the United States."