Sejong: Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday paid tribute to an interior ministry official who died while working on the restoration of online government services following a fire-caused outage. The official, who had led a team overseeing the recovery efforts, fell to his death at the government complex in the central city of Sejong earlier in the day.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim expressed his sorrow on Facebook, stating, “I am indescribably grief-stricken at the heartbreaking news of the loss of a valued public servant.” He extended his condolences to the bereaved family, offering his prayers for the deceased’s repose.

Kim acknowledged the official’s tireless work to restore the national network since the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS). He noted the official’s dedication, which deeply affected him.

The fire occurred last Friday at the NIRS in Daejeon, approximately 140 kilometers south of Seoul. It resulted in the burning of batteries and servers, crippling 647 online government services.