A South Korean lawyer requested antitrust regulators Thursday to investigate a U.S. educational testing agency over growing complaints on its management of a popular English proficiency test.

"I submitted the request to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), as the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is alleged to have abused its dominant market position," Choi kyu-ho, an attorney at legal firm Sekwang told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

South Korean students have been expressing discontent since last week when the ETS announced on its Web site that its Internet-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) would only be unavailable in South Korea in July due to technical difficulties in introducing the online version of the test.

Koreans who hoped to take the test in July posted messages in which they claimed they were being treated unfairly by the ETS and demanded an explanation.

"Technical difficulties cannot be cited as an excuse ... as they could have consulted with experts in handling the problem," Choi said.

He also expressed ETS's belated notice on cancellation as "neglectful management," labeling ETS as a dominant player in South Korea's English proficiency test market.

FTC Chairman Kwon Oh-seung stated in a radio interview Wednesday that recent actions being taken by the ETS are being examined, adding that "appropriate actions will be taken" if fair trade law violations are found.

Seoul, April 19 (Yonhap News)