The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's National Archives and the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Headquarters announced on the 23rd that they are collaborating to promote a project to digitize paper records to establish a foundation for artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation.
The National Archives proposed to the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Headquarters a plan for inmates at correctional facilities to participate in the digitization of records in April, and the two agencies began a pilot project on the 2nd of this month. Accordingly, 10 exemplary female inmates at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center are working on digitizing over 10,000 publicly accessible publications. The digitized records will be in a format that AI can learn from.
The National Archives is continuously promoting the digitization of records for preservation and utilization. Recently, as records have been increasingly utilized as essential data for AI development, the agency is expanding its workforce and budget for the digitization of records.
Lee Hong-yeon, head of the Correctional Policy Division at the Ministry of Justice, noted, "By providing opportunities for practical vocational training rather than simple labor, it will contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society and their stable settlement in society."