Ministry of Science and ICT Elevates Data Center Fire Response to 'Broadcasting and Telecommunications Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters' Led by Minister

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited the SK C&C Pangyo Data Center in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do on the morning of the 16th to inspect the fire-related situation and encourage the swift recovery of service disruptions at Naver, Kakao, and others. Photo by Ministry of Science and ICT

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Hong Jin-bae, Director of the Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced on the 16th, "Following President Yoon Seok-yeol's directive, the Broadcasting and Communications Disaster Response Situation Room was elevated to the Broadcasting and Communications Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters chaired by the Minister starting at 11:15 AM."

On the same day, the Ministry of Science and ICT held an on-site inspection meeting at the SK C&C Pangyo Data Center in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.

A fire broke out the previous day at the SK C&C Pangyo Data Center, cutting off power supply to the area housing Kakao equipment, which caused multiple Kakao service disruptions starting from 3:30 PM. In the case of KakaoTalk, partial recovery began early that morning, but full normalization has not yet been achieved.

Director Hong stated, "The Broadcasting and Communications Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters represents the highest level of response," adding, "We are responding at the highest level through collaboration not only within the Ministry of Science and ICT but also with related government agencies."

The Ministry of Science and ICT operates a four-stage crisis management organization in accordance with the Basic Plan for Broadcasting and Communications Disaster Management when a telecommunications disaster occurs.

Additionally, the Ministry plans to review whether Kakao violated the Telecommunications Business Act, which requires submission of data and imposes obligations on value-added service providers to maintain network service quality, following a request for data submission made the previous day.