[Report] "This Is So Inconvenient"... Community Centers Swamped Amid Computer Network Paralysis

Citizens Wait in Line With Number Tickets
Unmanned Issuance Machines Also Suspended
Everyday Civil Services Face Widespread Disruption

"I came to the community center before going to work. This is so inconvenient."

On the 29th, citizens are waiting at the Daehyeong-dong Community Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Byun Seonjin

As the paralysis of the national computer network caused by the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) Daejeon headquarters entered its fourth day, citizens flocked to community centers on Monday morning to obtain various documents.

At around 9 a.m. on the 29th, at the Sajik-dong Community Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Yoo Inseong said, "I came here 10 minutes before opening to get a certificate of seal impression," adding, "Normally, I could do this online, but today it took dozens of minutes." Kim, whom we met at the Yeoksam 1-dong Community Center in Gangnam-gu, said, "I came to get documents for work and am waiting after stepping out of the office for a bit," and added, "I thought I came early, but there were already many people ahead of me."

Some community centers had signs on their unmanned civil service issuance machines reading "Service Temporarily Suspended." The notice stated, "Due to the fire at the National Information Resources Service, issuance services are suspended until recovery is complete," and continued, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

On the 29th, a notice of "Service Temporarily Suspended" was posted on the unmanned civil service issuance machine at Dangsan 1-dong Community Service Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Eunseo

People preparing for real estate sales and lease contracts were especially inconvenienced. Access to the Real Estate Transaction Management System (RTMS) was blocked, making online contract reporting impossible, and essential documents such as land registers and cadastral maps were also inaccessible. Office worker Kim said, "Today is the day to sign a lease contract, but I couldn't get a copy of my resident registration online, so I had to come in person," and added, "I was worried all weekend about missing the contract time. The government should manage such critical national systems with more care." Park Jooyeon (25) said, "I won a housing lottery and need to prepare contract documents, but the Government24 website was down, which was frustrating," and added, "The documents need to be registered in the system today, so I'm nervous. I'm worried they won't be processed in time."

Everyday civil services were also disrupted. Choi Youngbeom (38), who lives in Jongno-gu, Seoul, said, "I was trying to dispose of a travel bag and a mat, but couldn't do it online, so I had to come to the community center." Lee Kyungsoo (87) said, "I needed to apply for a family relationship certificate and a welfare card. There are a lot of people, but I have no choice but to wait." Lee Hyoae (78) said, "I need documents for overseas proof, but they can't be verified in the system. The staff called, but told me to wait at least 10 more minutes."

On the 29th, citizens are waiting to receive documents at the Dangsan 1-dong Community Service Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Eunseo

Citizens expressed frustration that a single fire could paralyze all administrative operations. University student Lee Hyunseong (23) said, "I lost my resident registration card and came to get a reissue, but was told it couldn't be done yet, so I'm leaving. I feel frustrated because I don't know how long this will last." Job seeker Jung said, "Today is my final interview, so I rushed here to get a military service certificate. Thankfully, my interview is in the afternoon-if it were in the morning, I would have been in big trouble."

Front desk staff also had no time to rest. As soon as the community center opened, the civil service office was packed with people seeking assistance. One staff member said, "Since the unmanned issuance isn't working, more people than usual have come in. I can't estimate how long it will take to process all the requests."

Meanwhile, a total of 647 services have been suspended due to the NIRS fire. Of these, 96 systems were directly damaged by the fire, while the remaining 551 systems were preemptively shut down to protect them after the computer room's air conditioning and humidity control units were turned off.

The government plans to sequentially restart these 551 systems and check their status. However, the 96 systems that were completely destroyed must be moved to the public-private cloud zone at the NIRS Daegu Center, which is expected to take at least two weeks to recover. Major services such as the National Petition Portal, the National Law Information Center, and Onnara System-the internal network for public officials-are reported to be among those affected.