Wired internet services of top 3 telecom firms suffer partial disruptions

Fixed-line internet services provided by South Korea's three major telecom companies experienced partial disruptions Thursday, apparently due to an error that occurred during a firmware update.Telecom industry sources reported nationwide service disruptions to wired internet networks by the three telecom companies starting at 5 p.m.Industry insiders believe the issue was caused by an error during a firmware update process involving a company that supplied access point equipment to the telecom operators.Subscribers using these devices were unable to access certain websites, including those of government-run "go.kr" domains.The telecom companies and communications authorities immediately launched an investigation to assess the situation.The service operators were also considering the possibility of a hacking attack as the cause of the disruptions, industry sources said.Source: Yonhap News Agency