India, Aug. 21 -- The Indo-Korean Center (IKC) in Balewadi has been designated as an official overseas centre for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), making Pune the only city in western India to host the internationally-recognised examination. The certification is widely used for admissions to Korean universities, jobs in Korean companies, visa applications, and academic advancement.

The designation has been granted by South Korea's National Institute for International Education (NIIED) under the Ministry of Education. The IKC functions under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Introduced in 1997, TOPIK assesses reading, writing and listening skills. It has two categories: TOPIK I (begin...