"National Archives and National History Compilation Committee Sign MOU to Simplify Data Search Using AI"

AI-Based Linking of National Records and Historical Materials

No More Hassle of Visiting Each Institution's Website

Access to Source and Original Location Without Knowing the Holding Institution

The National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is partnering with the National History Compilation Committee to establish a collaborative system for interlinking and utilizing national record information and historical materials using artificial intelligence (AI).

On September 18, the National Archives announced that it had signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Joint Utilization and Integration of Record Information and Historical Materials" with the National History Compilation Committee at its Seongnam branch.

Lee Yongcheol, Director of the National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (fifth from the left), and Heo Donghyun, Chairman of the National History Compilation Committee, are taking a commemorative photo with attendees from both organizations after signing a memorandum of understanding for the joint use of record information and historical data at the Seongnam branch of the National Archives in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 18th. Provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Both organizations have previously developed services through initiatives such as the "Ministry Cooperation-Based AI Proliferation" project and the "Public Artificial Intelligence Transformation (AX) Project" under the Ministry of Science and ICT. The National Archives has created AI-based record information search, summarization, and recommendation services, while the National History Compilation Committee developed recognition, search, and translation services for modern multilingual materials. This agreement is intended to build on these results and establish a foundation for the continuous interlinking and joint utilization of the two organizations' resources.

The National Archives is currently researching and designing a "Pan-National Integrated Record Information Utilization System." This model aims to alleviate the inconvenience of the current method, which requires citizens to visit various agencies' websites individually to find materials related to specific policies or historical events.

The integrated system is designed so that data from each agency is not centralized but remains within agency-specific systems. AI agents then retrieve and compile the relevant materials in response to user queries. As a result, users will significantly benefit from improved accessibility, as they can be guided not only to the sources of records but also to the exact location of original documents, even if they do not know the holding institution.

This collaboration is significant as it marks the first instance of verifying the applicability of the pan-national model using actual institutional data. By linking records held by the National Archives from the government’s founding in 1948 with the modern historical materials of the National History Compilation Committee, a robust foundation is laid for examining the broad flow of policy and social change from the modern era through to the present.

The two organizations will conduct a trial to verify whether it is possible to jointly search for related materials by connecting record information and historical resources that have different structures and classification systems. In the process, they plan to develop a standard for connecting differing terminologies and classifications across agencies and to seek ways to make these services user-friendly for the public.

Lee Yongcheol, Director of the National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (left), and Heo Donghyun, Chairman of the National History Compilation Committee, are taking a commemorative photo after signing a memorandum of understanding for the joint utilization of record information and historical materials on the 18th at the Seongnam Branch of the National Archives in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Under the agreement, the two organizations will advance: ▲ the mutual integration and joint utilization of record information and historical materials; ▲ strengthening of service capabilities and sharing of experiences and technology through information technology such as AI; and ▲ the establishment of foundations for the integration and use of record information and historical data, as well as the development of user models for the public.

The National Archives intends to use the empirical results to plan follow-up projects to expand partnerships to a wide range of public and private organizations that hold record and knowledge resources and will also work to secure necessary funding for these projects.

Cooperation in the field of archival appraisal will also be strengthened. The National Archives plans to have historical expert members from the National History Compilation Committee participate ex officio in the archival appraisal process and intends to formally codify this when revising the Enforcement Decree of the Public Records Management Act in the future. This measure is considered to enhance professionalism in assessing the historical value of archives.

Lee Yongcheol, Director of the National Archives, stated, "This agreement marks the first step toward expanding the AI capabilities each institution has accumulated into inter-agency record information integration." He added, "We will thoroughly pursue empirical verification and systematically prepare the subsequent implementation foundation so that the public can conveniently access related records and knowledge resources across institutional boundaries, while still respecting each agency’s unique data structure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.