Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT Checks on Communication Facility Restoration Status After Heavy Rainfall

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT is delivering opening remarks at the meeting with CEOs of the three major telecommunications companies held on the afternoon of the 11th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Science and ICT (photo), visited Dongjak Station on the 10th to inspect the flooding and recovery status of communication facilities caused by the heavy rain concentrated in the metropolitan area.

The Ministry of Science and ICT issued an information and communication accident crisis alert (interest level) at 5:40 p.m. on the 8th to prevent damage caused by the heavy rain, and has been promoting response and recovery measures such as monitoring the damage status of communication facilities, increasing base station output, and strengthening inspections of communication facilities together with telecommunication companies. Although some areas in the metropolitan area experienced damage to wired and wireless communication facilities due to power outages and flooding, the recovery rate currently stands at 90.6% through ongoing restoration work.

Due to the heavy rain in the metropolitan area, about 151,000 wired and wireless communication and paid broadcasting lines were damaged, and as of 7 a.m. on the 10th, about 137,000 lines have been restored. The three major telecommunication companies explained their rapid recovery plans for the damaged equipment and stated that they will strengthen cooperation such as joint response among telecommunication companies to efficiently respond to natural disasters like this heavy rain in the metropolitan area in the future.

Minister Lee Jong-ho said, "As a national core infrastructure supporting the digital economy and society, securing the reliability and stability of the backbone communication network is becoming increasingly important, and this is no exception in disaster situations," adding, "Communication services during disasters are essential services that protect the lives of the people by enabling access to disaster information or emergency contact, so please do your best to ensure rapid recovery so that stable and uninterrupted services can be provided." He also urged, "Please inspect the overall communication disaster prevention, response, and recovery system according to the ‘Network Stability Securing Plan’ to ensure the survivability and resilience of communication networks."

Additionally, Minister Lee visited the Seocho-dong Post Handling Office to check the flooding damage and recovery status for resuming mail circulation.