Senior Official Overseeing National Computing Network Dies by Suicide; President Lee Expresses Condolences on Facebook
President Lee: "Dedicated Himself to Fulfilling His Duty as a Public Servant Until the Very Last Moment"
"Expressing Sorrow and Condolences Together with the People"
President Lee Jaemyung has expressed his condolences regarding the death of a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official who was in charge of overseeing the national computing network and died by suicide.
On October 3, President Lee wrote on Facebook, "I extend my deepest condolences to the deceased," adding, "I pray for the repose of the official who dedicated himself to the public until the very last moment of his life in order to fulfill his duty as a public servant. Together with the people, I express my sorrow and condolences."
President Lee continued, "The late official worked tirelessly, day and night, out of a profound sense of responsibility to quickly resolve public inconvenience and restore the functions of the state. We will never forget the dedication and sacrifice made behind the scenes to help the nation overcome this crisis and restore normalcy to people's daily lives." He added, "I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and colleagues at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and I pray for the deceased's peace and eternal rest."
Earlier, Prime Minister Kim Minseok and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoonshik visited the memorial altar set up in Sejong City for the fallen official to pay their respects.
At around 10:50 a.m. on this day, a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official in his 50s, who was overseeing the national computing network, was found collapsed near the Jungang-dong government building in Eojin-dong, Sejong City. It is presumed that the official left his mobile phone at the 15th-floor south terrace smoking area of the Jungang-dong building before taking his own life. He was transported to the hospital by firefighters and police but was ultimately pronounced dead. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, upon learning of the incident, stated, "We extend our deepest condolences to the deceased and will do our utmost to handle the aftermath of the incident."
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, about 800 specialists and public officials have been mobilized to restore the National Information Resources Service (NIRS), whose national information systems were halted by a fire on September 26. However, the system recovery rate remains at only 17.8%. The headquarters has begun discussions to secure emergency funds for the overall restoration of the NIRS Daejeon Center and for relocating the heavily damaged 7-1 data center systems to the Daegu Center. All 96 information systems stored in the 7-1 data center were completely destroyed by fire, and restoration work has not even begun on the systems in the other 7 and 8 data centers due to dust contamination.
Yoon Hojung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Minister of the Interior and Safety, said at a meeting held at the Seoul Government Complex, "We will treat the upcoming seven-day holiday as a golden time for restoring the information systems and will make extraordinary efforts to accelerate the recovery process."
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