[2025 Audit] Lee Jaeyong, National Information Resources Service Director: "Lack of Consideration for the Specifics in Selecting Battery Relocation Contractors"

National Information Resources Fire Occurred During Battery Relocation
Ko Dongjin: "Inexperienced Entry-Level Contractors Selected"

Lee Jaeyong, Director of the National Information Resources Service, stated regarding the battery relocation, which is suspected to be the cause of the fire, "There was a lack of consideration for the unique aspects of the battery relocation project in areas such as contractor selection, contract terms, and bidding methods."

On October 14, during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit, Director Lee made this comment in response to a question from Assemblyman Ko Dongjin of the People Power Party, who pointed out that the companies responsible for the battery relocation work at the time of the fire at the National Information Resources Service were inexperienced and entry-level firms.

Yonhap News Agency

The fire at the National Information Resources Service, which occurred on September 26, is believed to have started when sparks were generated during the process of moving lithium batteries from the fifth-floor data center to the basement.

Assemblyman Ko criticized, "The supervision work log on the day of the incident only contains general information, with no record of any advance measures such as checking the charge level or shutting off power to each rack. Even just looking at the supervision log, one can see how carelessly the work was carried out."

Assemblyman Ko also added, "As the demand institution, the National Information Resources Service could have conducted a restricted competitive bidding process to hire experienced companies, but this time, an open competitive bid was held, allowing anyone to participate, regardless of their track record in battery relocation. Given the sensitivity of batteries, a restricted competitive bidding process should have been used."