96 Systems Completely Destroyed, Four Weeks Expected for Relocation and Setup in Daegu
"Aiming to Expedite the Schedule as Much as Possible"
"Reports of an Unqualified Company Handling Battery Transport Are Not True"
Of the 647 systems affected by the fire at the National Information Resources Service, 62 systems have been restored. The government announced that as systems are recovered, updates will be provided in real time through major portals such as Naver and Daum.
On September 29, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Kim Minjae explained at a briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong in the afternoon, "As of 12:00 p.m. today, 62 out of 647 systems have been restored, and 16 (44.4%) of the top-priority services are now operational." This is an increase of 15 systems from 47 at 8:30 a.m. the same day. The newly restored systems include services such as the Public Procurement Service's Nara Marketplace (payment processing).
Key services with high public usage, such as Korea Post mail, financial services, and the issuance of resident registration certificates through Government24, which were expected to see a surge in demand ahead of the Chuseok holiday, were prioritized for restoration.
Vice Minister Kim stated regarding the restoration work at the Daejeon Center, "All available resources, including public officials and project teams, have been mobilized and dispatched to the site." He added, "We are restarting systems in computer rooms 1 through 6, which were less affected by the fire, and we plan to restart the fifth-floor computer room after dust removal." He also noted, "Because information systems such as servers are vulnerable to static electricity and water, specialized companies are handling the work, which is expected to take about one to two weeks."
For the 96 systems directly affected by the fire, he said, "They are scheduled to be installed in the Daegu Public-Private Partnership Cloud Zone." He continued, "It is expected to take about two weeks to prepare the information resources and another two weeks to build the systems, but we are aiming to expedite the schedule as much as possible with the cooperation of tenant companies at the Daegu Center."
Vice Minister Kim explained that for the 96 systems expected to experience prolonged disruptions, alternative measures are being secured to minimize public inconvenience. He said, "For systems handling civil petitions such as the National Petition Portal and Integrated Veterans Affairs, we are operating offline alternatives such as in-person and mail submissions, and the National Law Information Center is providing information on alternative sites."
In addition, considering the restoration timeline, the government has decided to extend deadlines for various tax payments and document submissions, including the September property tax deadline. All fees for document issuance through offline channels have also been fully waived.
The government is providing consultations on inconveniences and explaining alternative measures through the 110 Government Call Center and the 120 Civil Petition Call Center, and is also providing real-time information on alternative services available via major portals such as Naver and Daum. In addition, each institution has activated a 'Civil Petition Task Force' to respond to special situations arising from this disruption and to quickly devise solutions.
Vice Minister Kim stated, "All central government agencies and local governments are implementing alternative administrative measures, such as preparing manual processing procedures, to ensure that the public experiences minimal inconvenience in their work." He added, "We will maintain transparent communication to address media inquiries and will also work to prevent cybercrimes that may exploit the current situation."
Meanwhile, regarding reports that an unqualified company was involved in battery transport, he clarified, "Upon investigation, this is not true."
Vice Minister Kim explained, "The fire occurred while preparations were underway to move the batteries, and at that time, the worker involved was a qualified technical professional and is also among those injured in the fire."
The government has issued warnings to prevent online scams such as smishing that exploit notifications related to the disruption, and, in cooperation with the National Police Agency and other relevant agencies, has strengthened monitoring. Vice Minister Kim reiterated, "Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to the public by this disruption. We will do our utmost to restore services swiftly and stabilize the situation."
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