Comedian Kim Young-chul shared the news that he failed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
On the 2nd, Kim Young-chul announced on his social media (SNS) that “I failed the JLPT N3 exam taken in July due to insufficient scores.” He also posted a photo capturing a poem ‘About Failure’ from poet Jeong Ho-seung’s collection ‘A Moment at the Convenience Store’.
The JLPT, as mentioned by Kim Young-chul, is an official Japanese proficiency test hosted by organizations under the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, targeting non-native Japanese speakers. It is held in over 60 countries worldwide, and the test certification is utilized for Japanese university admissions, employment, and residence qualifications.
The test is categorized into N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 levels, with N1 being the most difficult and progressively easier towards N5.
The N3 level exam consists of three subjects: ▲language knowledge (characters and vocabulary) ▲language knowledge (grammar), reading ▲listening. To pass, one must score over 95 out of 180. Passing indicates a level of understanding of Japanese used in everyday situations.
For the 2024 July exam, there were a total of 680,000 candidates worldwide. Over 200,000 candidates took the N3 level exam, with a pass rate of 40.5%. N1 and N2 had pass rates of 33.3% and 38.3%, respectively.
Having N1 or N2 certification makes it easier for Japanese university admissions, employment, etc. N3 level is generally considered the starting stage of learning Japanese.
Kim Young-chul expressed, “I felt unfair for several days, and there was a scoring method that I couldn’t fully understand. Above all, I performed poorly in reading,” reflecting his disappointment. He continued, “I felt melancholic on the radio, received comfort from listeners, and also comforted others,” he shared.
Kim Young-chul confessed, “As an excuse, I was busy and too involved in unnecessary things.” He added, “These days, I get emotional when listeners talk about interviews, exams, etc. because I understand and can relate to how they feel.”
Nevertheless, he stated, “I acknowledge failure and reflect on it. I realized being half-hearted leads to such results and thought I should try harder,” he shared, “So I’m hesitating whether to do it or not.”
Meanwhile, Kim Young-chul is known as a celebrity proficient in English. Particularly, he drew more attention as it became known that he self-taught English in Korea without studying abroad in English-speaking countries.
In the past, Kim Young-chul appeared on ‘Star Special Lecture Show’ to reveal his English study methods and conducted lectures across various media and platforms. He also published books such as ‘Real American English by Kim Young-chul and Tyler’ and ‘Cheeky Young-chul English’.
In 2016, he participated in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, known as one of the world’s top 3 comedy festivals, performing stand-up comedy in English, showcasing his fluent conversational skills. He also made an appearance on MBC’s ‘Infinite Challenge’ as a short-term English instructor when the members were preparing for a performance with Psy in New York, demonstrating his English proficiency.
