Korea to bring AI question writing, grading and home-testing to Topik in 2029
A proposed overhaul to the country's Korean-language proficiency test is slated for 2029, including questions tailored to different proficiency levels and AI conducting initial speaking and writing assessments.
A file photo shows a test-taker participating in the Test of Proficiency in Korean.JOONGANG ILBO
Korea will overhaul its state-administered Test of Proficiency in Korean (Topik) with AI and other digital technologies starting in 2029, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education announced Tuesday.
AI will help generate questions and grade answers, while officials plan to eventually allow test-takers to sit for the exam from home. Korea will also increase the number of test dates and testing sites, while a reform committee may discuss expanding writing and speaking assessments.
Topik is often used for university admissions, immigration status qualifications and employment in Korea.
The Education Ministry plans to draw up an information strategy plan for Topik by 2027 and build an integrated platform before introducing AI-powered question generation and grading in 2029.
Using AI-powered large language models, the system will generate questions tailored to different proficiency levels, check them against previous test questions for similarities and predict their difficulty. For the writing and speaking sections, officials are considering having AI conduct an initial assessment before human graders make a final evaluation.
Topik will also gradually introduce at-home testing, similar to the Test of English as a Foreign Language, which is abbreviated as Toefl. An AI-powered proctoring system will use facial recognition and eye-tracking technology to detect cheating. The home test will initially be limited to lower-level exams that are not directly used for university admission or visa screening.
A tiny earpiece used by an applicant for the Test of Proficiency in Korean to cheat on the testSEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY
The overhaul comes as the number of Topik test-takers surges. The number rose from 421,812 in 2023 to 493,287 in 2024 and 566,665 in 2025. This year, 564,606 people had taken the test as of September. Topik is now administered in 94 countries.
The Education Ministry expects the number of test-takers to surpass a million by 2030.
The ministry will establish a Topik reform committee by the end of this year, which will bring together experts in Korean-language education, assessment and AI. The committee will develop a new testing framework by June 2027, with the changes set to take effect in 2029. The panel will discuss combining the intermediate and advanced levels, expanding writing and speaking assessments and creating a Topik exam for younger learners.
The Education Ministry also plans to make Topik more widely accessible. While keeping the current schedule of 15 test sessions a year, it will expand testing sites at home and abroad and increase group testing at schools with large international student populations and workplaces that employ many foreign workers. Requirements for overseas testing will also be relaxed to allow the exam to be administered in smaller communities.
As the number of test-takers has grown, cases of cheating have also increased.
More than 10 people were caught by police in July on suspicion of taking Topik for others in exchange for money or providing answers through tiny earpieces. Last year, authorities caught a test-taker using smart glasses to cheat.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
