Daejeon: The government announced its commitment to restoring the administrative computer network disrupted by a fire at the central state data center, triggered by a battery explosion. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety convened a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarter, aiming to repair the affected network equipment by Sunday to resume key services essential to citizens' daily activities and the economy.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the central disaster headquarters reported that when the fire erupted at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, the government shut down 647 online systems, including the mobile identification and online postal services. Of these, 436 were public programs, and 211 were intranet systems for government officials, with 96 systems directly damaged by the fire.
The fire began at 8:15 p.m. Friday when a lithium-ion battery exploded in a computer room on the fifth floor of the Daejeon center. Officials stated that the explosion occurred during the disconnection of uninterruptible power supply batteries from servers for relocation purposes. The fire was extinguished at 6 p.m. Saturday, 22 hours post-outbreak. Firefighters encountered challenges entering the building due to heavy smoke and the risk of reignition.
Police and fire authorities are set to investigate the fire's cause and damage extent. Vice Interior Minister Kim Min-jae explained that operations were suspended as a precautionary measure following temperature and humidity control malfunctions that could cause overheating. Once repairs are complete, the government plans to bring the servers back online, prioritizing critical services like postal and financial services.
The disruptions affected the 119 emergency rescue service's location-tracking function, the online official document issuance service, and the pan-government intranet, Onnara System, hindering government officials' access to online administration systems. Websites of major government bodies, including the office of the prime minister and various ministries, remain inaccessible. The disruptions reportedly affected nearly one-third of the government's total online information systems.
Citizens faced inconveniences from the service disruptions, with reports of failed debit card payments and unavailable money transfer services through Korea Post financial accounts. Transportation services also faced impacts, requiring passengers with discounted tickets to present identification cards.
Vice Minister Kim announced the postponement of impending tax payment deadlines and official document submissions until after service restoration to mitigate disruption effects. He encouraged citizens to visit government offices in person or use alternative government-provided websites for official services during the restoration period.
Approximately 10 hours after the fire began, the main blaze was under control by 6:30 a.m., although it partially reignited later. About 200 firefighting personnel and dozens of fire trucks were deployed. One worker sustained first-degree burns, and nearly 400 lithium-ion battery packs were destroyed.
At an emergency meeting, Interior Minister Yun raised the crisis management level for government information systems from "alert" to "serious," pledging all available resources for a swift resolution. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok apologized for the disruptions, committing to restoring affected services.
Industry sources suggest minimal data loss risk due to the state data center's robust backup systems. Jung Chung-rae, chair of the ruling Democratic Party, instructed party officials to support government efforts in addressing the disruptions. Meanwhile, the main opposition People Power Party criticized the incident as a "man-made disaster," calling for a thorough investigation and accountability.