Seoul – A fire at South Korea’s National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data centre in Daejeon has knocked hundreds of government services offline, starkly highlighting critical gaps in the country’s digital backup systems. The widespread service disruption has raised fresh concerns about infrastructure resilience in one of the world’s most hyper-connected nations.
The blaze, which erupted during routine maintenance on Friday, immediately disrupted approximately 647 government services, including those managed by essential agencies such as Korea Customs, the National Police Agency, and the National Fire Agency. By Monday, authorities confirmed only 62 systems had been restored, with many key portals, including the safety ministry’s main website, remaining inaccessible.
Investigators suspect that an expired LG Energy battery triggered the fire. This finding has put the spotlight on maintenance standards at a time when technology reliance is at its peak.
“We see services restoring every hour,” Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung told reporters, acknowledging the partial recovery of Government24, the country’s main online portal for public services, alongside key financial and postal systems run by Korea Post.
President’s Apology and Systemic Criticism
President Lee Jae Myung issued an apology for the pervasive disruption, admitting that the government lacked proper contingency planning despite similar, less severe, outages in 2023.
“It is surprising the government had no better backup,” Lee said, before ordering ministers to immediately propose emergency budgets to strengthen cybersecurity and data recovery systems. His remarks underscore a sense of government accountability often demanded by the public during such crises.
Digital infrastructure specialists were quick to criticize the government’s lack of real-time synchronization and robust recovery systems. Lee Seong-yeob, a professor at Korea University, warned that such an extensive failure should never have occurred at a national-level agency. “The government seems complacent, despite repeated warnings from past incidents,” he stated, referencing a 2022 data centre blaze that crippled major applications, including the popular Kakao messenger and online payment systems.
Expired Equipment Under Scrutiny
Investigators believe the fire was sparked when a battery, produced by LG Energy Solution, exploded during maintenance. The batteries, which were maintained by the LG affiliate LG CNS, had been in service for more than a decade and their warranty expired in 2024. The safety ministry disclosed that LG CNS had recommended the batteries be replaced during a routine check last year, yet they were kept in service. LG Energy Solution declined to comment on the matter, citing the ongoing investigation.
