Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Orders All-Out Response to Minimize Resident Inconvenience After National Information Resources Fire

After returning from a tour of three Central Asian countries, Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, ordered an all-out response regarding the nationwide administrative system paralysis caused by the fire at the National Information Resources Service headquarters in Daejeon.

At the meeting of department and bureau heads on the 29th, Governor Park emphasized, "Each department and bureau must review response measures, such as offline civil complaint handling systems, to prepare for situations where online administration is impossible, and promptly establish concrete plans to minimize on-site confusion and inconvenience to residents."

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is leading the meeting of department, bureau, and headquarters directors. Provided by Gyeongnam Province

According to Gyeongnam Province, the fire at the National Information Resources Service on the 26th led to a nationwide suspension of public services such as post office financial and postal services, Government24, the National Civil Complaint Portal, and mobile identification, as well as internal administrative services including integrated email for public officials, Onnara email and video conferencing, and the Government Public Key Infrastructure (GPKI).

Access disruptions also occurred for the integrated welfare service portal "Bokjiro," the social security information system "Haengbokeum," the online cremation reservation system "e-Haneul Funeral System," and the "119 Emergency Smart System," which activates warning lights in hospital emergency rooms when emergency patients arrive.

Gyeongnam Province and city and county offices have been informing residents of alternative service channels through their official websites and social media, and are continuing administrative services for residents through manual processing and other means.

Governor Park also addressed the recent decision not to provide provincial financial support for the basic income pilot project for rural areas, citing factors such as increased subsidies for farmers and fishers and the financial burden of restoring damage from extreme rainfall in July.

He stated, "There is a growing number of projects being pushed forward without fully considering the realities of local government finances," and added, "A comprehensive review and careful consideration of financial feasibility are absolutely necessary."

He continued, "After thoroughly reviewing the overall fiscal conditions, we must reconsider the direction of these projects," and instructed, "Inspect the structure of revenues and expenditures in detail to ensure the sustainability of local government finances."

He also said, "From the policy design stage, it is necessary for the Council of Provincial and Municipal Governments to gather opinions and propose them to the central government, so that the administrative and financial capacities of local governments are sufficiently reflected and institutional improvements can be pursued. The voices from the field must be incorporated into policy, so that both the nation and local governments can work together to build a sustainable fiscal structure."

Governor Park also commented on his recent tour of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, where he discussed railway cooperation and personnel exchanges with government and local officials.

He requested, "Each department and bureau should review and promptly implement follow-up tasks so that the issues discussed locally can lead to tangible results."

Finally, he ordered the preparation of comprehensive measures for each sector in anticipation of the Chuseok holiday, including transportation, medical care, and waste collection, and instructed that thorough preparations be made to ensure that support for vulnerable groups is not neglected.