Korea Ocean Business Corp. launches in-house AI platform 'HaeGPT' to transform workplace

The Korea Ocean Business Corp. has built a work-specific AI platform called "HaeGPT" — a closed system that runs on the agency's own internal servers and draws exclusively on verified legal and operational data, without relying on external AI services.

The state-run maritime finance agency, known by its Korean acronym KOBC, announced Wednesday that it will launch the platform for all employees on Saturday.

Unlike general-purpose AI tools, HaeGPT responds only from a verified database of KOBC's internal regulations, reports, national statutes and policy documents. Employees can type questions in plain conversational language to retrieve information and draft reports or press releases with AI assistance.

Security and accuracy were central design priorities. HaeGPT operates as a closed system on KOBC's internal network rather than the public internet or cloud infrastructure, eliminating the risk of sensitive work data leaking externally. The agency also built an internal regulation management system linked to roughly 5,000 up-to-date statutes and internal rules stored on the intranet, ensuring the AI always draws on the latest legal and regulatory standards.

The system architecture was also designed for flexibility. KOBC applied a lightweight small language model optimized for Korean to improve response speed, and adopted a modular structure that allows the underlying AI model to be swapped out whenever a more capable one becomes available.

The project was developed in line with the government's policy to expand AI use in the public sector following the enforcement of the Artificial Intelligence Basic Act on July 21. KOBC incorporated frontline staff feedback from the outset: a preliminary survey found that 88 percent of employees identified data search and analysis as the AI capability they needed most, and that finding shaped the platform's core functions.

Staff will initially have access to a knowledge bot for looking up workplace regulations and a press release bot to assist with drafting. By handling search, analysis and document creation within a single AI platform, the agency expects to significantly cut the time employees spend navigating multiple systems.

KOBC plans to continue upgrading its internal generative AI in phases — first by applying higher-performance AI models and expanding task-specific AI tools, and ultimately building a fully AI-driven work environment capable of image and video production and automating repetitive tasks.

"HaeGPT is a work-specific AI platform that the agency planned and built based on ideas proposed directly by our employees," KOBC President Ahn Byung-gil said. "In line with the government's push to spread AI across the public sector, we will keep upgrading the platform to raise work efficiency and productivity, and ensure those gains translate into better service quality for the maritime industry."