100 Things I Love About Korea: #66: Hanword Viewer

If you live in Korea, someone has probably emailed you a .hwp document.  This is a document created in HanWord Processor, Korea's most popular word processor (popular because it was specifically made for the Korean market - instead of just translated into Korean).  However, most westerners don't have HWP.  To further complicate the problem it has zero conversion capacity.  It can't be opened in Word, Open Office, or Mac's Pages.   Most people either go to a Korean computer to open the document or ask the person to send it again in Word. 

However, I recently discovered a new option.  Hansoft is providing "HanWord Viewer" for free.  You can download it for mac or for pc.  I use a mac, and the viewer works like a charm.  It's the basic equivalent of Adobe's .pdf viewer.  

If you don't want to (or can't) download a program, you have other options.  HWP has created a free online site that will allow you to view any HWP doc and/or convert it into a pdf doc which you can download to your own computer.  I have used it twice now, and it works splendidly.  Go to www.thinkfree.com to try it out. 

Korea Tip 125: AppleCare Stores

Korea is not very mac-friendly, but it's getting better.  Just a few years ago most Korean websites were basically inaccessible to Safari or even Firefox.  However, with the increasing popularity of Apple products - especially Ipads and Iphones - that is changing.
One of the big problems, though, is getting reliable service for Apple products.  Until recently, you had to journey to Seoul to use your Applecare warranty.  However, Apple Service Centers are slowly moving southward and popping up in some other big cities. 
If you live in Cheonan, where I'm based, the easiest store to reach is Neptune (also known as All-In-One-Tech), which is in the AK Plaza at Suwon Station.  That is just about an hour from Cheonan via the subway.  Follow the signs within the station complex to AK Plaza.  Then keep taking the escalators upward to the 3rd or 4th floor - look for all the appliances and home-ware.  Neptune is a very sleek glass-enclosed store.
I recently brought in my MacBook because the powercord port was damaged.  The Neptune service technician, who might actually be the owner, took my mac apart and fixed the problem in about 10 minutes - no waiting in line.  To top off the positive experience, he also speaks pretty fair English.
To see the latest list of all AppleCare Service Providers in Korea, click here.