HWP (Hangul)
Also known as: .hwp file, Hangul Word Processor, HWPX, Hancom Office
HWP is the document format of Hangul Word Processor (Hancom Office), the word processor widely used in South Korea, especially in government and education. The newer HWPX is an XML-based version of the same format.
- Hancom Hangul Word Processor document
- Widespread in South Korean government and schools
- HWPX is the XML-based variant; convert to DOCX/PDF
What HWP is
HWP files store formatted text much like DOCX, but in Hancom’s own format. The software is dominant in South Korean government, schools, and offices, so many official Korean documents arrive as .hwp.
Hancom later introduced HWPX, an open, XML-based packaging of the format, to improve interoperability and long-term archiving alongside the classic binary .hwp.
Opening HWP outside Korea
Outside Hancom Office, support is limited. Hancom offers a free viewer, some office suites can import .hwp with varying fidelity, and the sender can export to DOCX or PDF for universal access.
These are ordinary text documents, so they take little space. Convert to PDF or DOCX mainly to read a .hwp when you do not have Hancom Office.