KATHMANDU, Jan 6: More than 164,000 people have applied for the language test opened in the manufacturing sector to go to South Korea through the Employment Permit System (EPS).

According to the EPS Korea Branch, 164,322 applications have been received by 5 PM on Friday, of which 20,522 are candidates who have participated in the exam for shipbuilding. The manufacturing sector alone has 143,800 applicants. 

Maiya Kandel, Director of EPS Korea Branch, informed that the number of examinees may still increase. The branch has demanded Rs 15,800 from people in the productive sector.

The EPS Nepal Branch opened the application on January 1, allowing candidates who had applied for shipbuilding in the last Asar of the Nepali month to take the language test in the manufacturing sector as well. 

Previously, only 4,000 out of 35,000 participants in the EPS examination held in Shrawan for shipbuilding had passed. Subsequently, applications were invited for the manufacturing sector jobs. 

However, due to a rule preventing those who participated in the examination within the past one year from applying for other fields, some 30,000 candidates who had failed were not allowed to submit applications for the EPS examination.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the decision, a group of 18 candidates had challenged the decision at the Patan High Court stating that all those aspiring to sit for examination should be allowed to participate in the examination of the manufacturing sector. 

Following the court order on December 21, the EPS Branch in Gwarko issued a notice to only 18 people to participate in the EPS examination. However, the High Court on December 29 passed another ruling, directing EPS Nepal Branch to allow all aspirants to sit for the examination. 

Following the court's order, applications were invited again on January 1, allowing those previously excluded to participate in the examination process. Prior to this, participants in the shipbuilding sector protested, demanding the right to participate in examinations for other sectors as well. Unfortunately, Sujan Rawat and Birendra Shah lost their lives in Lalitpur's Balkumari on December 29 as the agitating youths clashed with police personnel.

 
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