The Ministry of Science and ICT has activated an emergency recovery system to respond to broadcasting and telecommunications disruptions caused by nationwide heavy rainfall. As of 8:30 a.m. on July 17, the ministry raised the broadcasting and telecommunications disaster crisis alert to the "Caution" level and is conducting real-time monitoring of recovery efforts together with major telecommunications operators.
According to the ministry, as of 3:00 p.m. on the same day, a total of 2,572 wireless base stations had sustained damage, of which 1,498 stations (a recovery rate of 58.2%) had been restored. For wired lines, 37,130 cases out of 48,221 (77%) had been restored, while for pay TV lines, 18,296 cases out of 21,649 (84.5%) had been recovered. Data centers and digital service sectors continued to operate stably without significant damage.
Since July 8, the ministry has conducted on-site pre-inspections of 63 affiliated organizations, checking for cracks and leaks in aging structures, as well as inspecting flood control and drainage facilities. In particular, proactive summer disaster response inspections were completed for key telecommunications infrastructure, such as wildfire-damaged areas at risk of landslides and telecommunications operators' control centers.
With the crisis alert at the "Caution" level, the ministry is receiving damage and recovery status reports from major telecommunications companies every six hours.
At the same time, the disaster broadcasting system is also being inspected. The ministry is checking whether rapid information delivery systems, such as subtitle broadcasting, are operating properly for 90 cable TV channels, three IPTV channels, and one satellite broadcasting channel that serve as the main disaster broadcasting media.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
