Driver’s license test for foreigners offered in three languages, down from 10

The written test for driver’s licenses previously available in 10 languages will now only be offered in three, making it more difficult for some foreigners to take the tests.

The Road Traffic Authority has stopped providing the written exam part of the driver’s license in seven languages, citing the lack of test-takers for the abolished languages. The remaining three languages are English, Chinese and Vietnamese. 

The driver’s license test in Korea consists of prerequisite traffic safety lessons, a computerized written test, driving course test and on-road driving test.

Previously, the written test was additionally provided in Russian, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Mongolian, Tagalog and Cambodian.

Some 6,800 foreigners took the written tests in the seven languages that have been abolished, making up 13 percent of some 49,800 foreign applicants last year. This year, 2,854 among 20,770 foreign applicants took the test in the seven languages before authorities scrapped them in August.
The change has led to concerns that test-takers may cheat by hiring others, particularly those fluent in English.

Five Syrians were caught in separate occasions for cheating on the exam from December 2016 to February last year. According to police, they paid a Syrian fluent in English, who told them the answers when shown the English written test via video call.

The test had not been offered in Arabic.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)