Hancom, also known as Hancom, said on Wednesday it has released as open source an AI function that automatically generates and inserts accessibility tags that enable access to PDF documents.

Hancom distributed the feature by building it into OpenDataLoader PDF. The release allows companies and public institutions to convert large volumes of PDFs into accessible documents without additional costs or per-document charges.

The company said PDFs are among the most widely used digital document formats worldwide, but many documents are distributed without accessibility tags. In that case, screen readers cannot properly recognize a document's structure, making it difficult for people with visual impairments and other groups with limited access to information to understand the content. With the key obligation application date for U.S. ADA Title II due to arrive from April 2026, and with the European Accessibility Act and South Korea's Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities also coming into play, demand is surging among companies and public institutions to convert PDFs for accessibility.

The function Hancom released works by having AI analyse a document's structure and then directly record the results inside the original PDF file. The AI distinguishes components such as titles, tables, lists and images and applies them inside the PDF in the form of tags that reflect an accessibility structure.

It also provides Python, Node.js and Java libraries and a command-line tool so it can be integrated with existing workflows.

Hancom stressed it is pursuing the release not as a simple distribution of a function, but as part of a document AI platform strategy that goes beyond document processing tools to cover accessibility response and regulatory compliance.

Hancom CTO Ji-hwan Jung (정지환) said, "The PDF accessibility market has long been run with high costs and a complex adoption structure." He said, "Hancom is releasing core functions as open source so that anyone can start accessibility conversion without a cost burden. In line with the trend of accessibility regulations such as ADA Title II and the European Accessibility Act going into full swing, we will continue to provide companies that need to convert large volumes of documents with free core tools and commercial solutions at the PDF/UA compliance level."