Haansoft sets challenge to MS Word

Baek Jong-jin, the new president of computer software developer Haansoft Inc., says the company will introduce word processing programs in five languages, namely English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Arabic, in September. Mr. Baek held a press conference to report on the company’s performance in the first half of the year, and said the firm had forged an alliance with Hauri Inc., an anti-virus company that has operations in the United States, Japan and China. The overseas offices of Hauri will pave the way for the new word processing programs in overseas markets, the 43-year-old Mr. Baek said. “The word processing markets of these countries are dominated by Microsoft Word,” Mr. Baek said. “But especially in China and the Arab countries, anti-American sentiment has escalated these days, which I expect will open an opportunity for our success.” The company posted 2.7 billion won ($2.3 million) in operating profits on revenues of 8.3 billion won in the first half of the year, both down 37 percent from the same period last year. Mr. Baek said the sluggish performance was due to the firm’s efforts to focus on software and dispose of peripheral businesses, such as establishing information systems for corporate customers. “We sold our building in Nonhyeon-dong and have eliminated our debts,” Mr. Baek said. “We will soon be back on the right track.” The company moved its headquarters on June 21 to the Technomart building in the Guui-dong district of Seoul. A younger brother of Baek Jong-heon, 51, chairman of Prime Construction and Engineering Co., Haansoft’s Mr. Baek has served as president of Technomart, a large electronics shopping mall, and Prime Venture Capital Corp. Prime Construction became the largest shareholder of Haansoft earlier this year. by Kwon Hyeok-joo