Editing Korean language (section)

==Foreign language==
{{Main|Korean as a foreign language}}
For native English-speakers, Korean is generally considered to be one of the most difficult [[foreign language]]s to master despite the relative ease of learning Hangul. For instance, the [[United States]]' [[Defense Language Institute]] places Korean in Category IV with [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]] ([[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]] and [[Cantonese]]), and [[Arabic]], requiring 64 weeks of instruction (as compared to just 26 weeks for Category I languages like [[Italian language|Italian]], [[French language|French]],  and [[Spanish language|Spanish]])  to bring an English-speaking student to a limited working level of proficiency in which they have "sufficient capability to meet routine social demands and limited job requirements" and "can deal with concrete topics in past, present, and future tense."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Raugh |first=Harold E. |title=The Origins of the Transformation of the Defense Language Program |journal=Applied Language Learning |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=1–12 |url=http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academic_materials/all/ALLissues/all16two.pdf |access-date=2008-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630173621/http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academic_materials/all/ALLissues/all16two.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-01 |title=DLI's language guidelines |url=https://www.ausa.org/articles/dlis-language-guidelines |access-date=2021-04-20 |website=AUSA |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420214109/https://www.ausa.org/articles/dlis-language-guidelines |url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly, the [[Foreign Service Institute]]'s School of Language Studies places Korean in Category IV, the highest level of difficulty.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/fsi/sls/orgoverview/languages |title=Languages |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=2016-05-27 |archive-date=5 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805123622/https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/fsi/sls/orgoverview/languages |url-status=live }}</ref>

The study of the Korean language in the United States is dominated by [[Korean American]] [[heritage language learning|heritage language students]]; in 2007, these students were estimated to form over 80% of all students of the language at non-military universities.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lee|first=Saekyun H. |author2=HyunJoo Han|title=Issues of Validity of SAT Subject Test Korea with Listening|journal=Applied Language Learning|volume=17|issue=1|pages=33–56  |url=http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academic_materials/all/ALLissues/ALL17.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625112846/http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academic_materials/all/ALLissues/ALL17.pdf|archive-date=2008-06-25}}</ref> However, [[Sejong Institute]]s in the United States have noted a sharp rise in the number of people of other ethnic backgrounds studying Korean between 2009 and 2011, which they attribute to [[Korean Wave|rising popularity]] of [[K-Pop|South Korean music]] and [[Korean drama|television shows]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120722000212|title=Global popularity of Korean language surges|work=[[The Korea Herald]]|date=2012-07-22|access-date=2012-08-16|archive-date=6 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106135225/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20120722000212|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, it was reported that the rise in K-Pop was responsible for the increase in people learning the language in US universities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pickles |first=Matt |date=2018-07-11 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44770777 |title=K-pop drives boom in Korean language lessons |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=2018-07-12 |language=en-GB |archive-date=16 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716105916/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44770777 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Testing ===
There are two widely used tests of Korean as a foreign language: the [[Korean Language Ability Test]] (KLAT) and the [[Test of Proficiency in Korean]] (TOPIK). The Korean Language Proficiency Test, an examination aimed at assessing non-native speakers' competence in Korean, was instituted in 1997; 17,000 people applied for the 2005 sitting of the examination.<ref>{{cite news|date=2004-10-10|title=Korea Marks 558th Hangul Day|work=[[The Chosun Ilbo]] |url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200410/200410100002.html|access-date=2008-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219042456/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200410/200410100002.html |archive-date=2008-02-19}}</ref> The TOPIK was first administered in 1997 and was taken by 2,274 people. Since then the total number of people who have taken the TOPIK has surpassed 1 million, with more than 150,000 candidates taking the test in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Korean language test-takers pass 1 mil.|newspaper=[[The Korea Times]]|url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/01/113_129158.html |author1=Yun Suh-young |access-date=25 January 2013|date=2013-01-20|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202537/http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/01/113_129158.html|url-status=live}}</ref> TOPIK is administered in 45 regions within South Korea and 72 nations outside of South Korea, with a significant portion being administered in Japan and North America, which would suggest the targeted audience for TOPIK is still primarily foreigners of Korean heritage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.topik.go.kr/usr/cmm/subLocation.do?menuSeq=211010402|script-title=ko:해외시험장 |website=TOPIK 한국어능력시험 |access-date=2017-10-24|archive-date=25 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025022701/http://www.topik.go.kr/usr/cmm/subLocation.do?menuSeq=211010402|url-status=dead|language=ko}}</ref> This is also evident in TOPIK's website, where the examination is introduced as intended for Korean heritage students.