What each level means in practice
Level 1: basic survival Korean — greetings, shopping, ordering food (~800 words).
Level 2: daily conversations and simple public information (~1,500–2,000 words).
Level 3: daily life plus familiar social topics; enough for most F-visa point requirements.
Level 4: news and ordinary work tasks; a common minimum for university admission.
Level 5: professional research or work contexts.
Level 6: near-native fluency in academic and professional settings; required for medicine and some government scholarships.