The government will conduct the seventh edition of the Korean language proficiency test for Nepalis seeking job opportunities in South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) on June 18 and 19.The four-day long deadline for applying for  the Korean language  proficiency test closed on Saturday. The test is a must for Nepali workers aspiring to go to South Korea for employment opportunities under the Employment Permit System.

A total of 60,678 Nepalis have applied for the seventh edition of the test whereas the figure was 51,499 last year. According to EPS Korea Section of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), it collected 31,448 applications from five different centres in Kathmandu Valley while the remaining was received from five different centres outside the Valley.

“The job quota for South Korea under the EPS has not been fixed yet for this year but the estimated number is 3,100 out of which 2,100 workers are for the agriculture sector and the remaining for the manufacturing sector,” said Dilli Ram Bastola, director at EPS Korea Section of the Department of Foreign Employment. He further informed that returnee workers would be accorded preference by South Korea this time.

Around 6000 workers had left for South Korea under the EPS last year. Currently, more than 34,000 Nepalis  are working in South Korea.  Nepal and South Korea had signed an agreement for the EPS provision in 2007. The minimum salary that Nepali workers receive in South Korea under the EPS provision is Rs 111,000 per month.

According to Bastola, the average monthly saving that a Nepali worker could make is around $1500. Meanwhile,  the cost of going to South Korea for Nepali workers under the EPS stands at around Rs 100,000.

source:the himalayan times,2 may 2016