Government to Block AI-Unreadable HWP Files... Transition to Open HWPX Format

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The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee announced on April 24 that, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it will restrict the attachment of Hangul hwp files, which have low AI recognition efficiency, to systems such as the On-nara System. Instead, the committee intends to accelerate the transition to the open format hwpx.

Recently, the usability of Hangul documents has improved, as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini now support reading hwp files. However, hwp files, unlike the open format hwpx, have a closed structure, which makes it difficult for AI to learn internal information.

Hancom Office 'Hangul'

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Accordingly, the On-nara System, a document drafting and distribution system used by public officials, will complete its transition to an open file format under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The use of hwpx has been mandatory in the On-nara System for central government agencies since 2022, and starting May 18, the mandate will be expanded to include local government On-nara Systems as well.

Additionally, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, in consultation with Hancom, the developer of Hancom Office Hangul, will encourage users to rewrite or edit and save existing hwp files so that they are converted and saved as hwpx. The ministry will also promote the transition to open formats such as hwpx for 'Onmail,' a communication tool used by public officials, by October.

'Integrated Public Officials Email,' a communication channel between public officials and the public, will also gradually transition to hwpx under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Starting from the first week of May, a pop-up notice recommending the use of hwpx when attaching hwp files will be implemented, and after a grace period of about five months, from October onward, the attachment of hwp files will be restricted.

Moonyoung Lim, Vice Chair of the AI Strategy Committee, stated, "Starting with this measure, we will work closely with relevant ministries to ensure that we implement meaningful and rapid changes for public sector data innovation in the AI era."

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