NewKerala.com

Key Points

A significant fire at South Korea's National Information Resources Service has disrupted government networks after a lithium-ion battery explosion. The incident occurred in Daejeon, affecting hundreds of computer systems and government services. Authorities have been working rapidly to restore network functionality, with over 50% of devices already back online. Officials promise transparent communication about the recovery process and investigation into the fire's cause.

Key Points: S Korea Data Center Fire Disrupts Government Networks

  • Lithium-ion battery explosion caused fire at National Information Resources Service
  • Over 50% of network devices restored within hours
  • 99% of key security devices now functioning
  • 96 out of 647 government network systems damaged
2 min read

S. Korea begins gradually resuming operations of state computer network

Major battery explosion cripples South Korean government data center, causing widespread network disruption and partial service restoration

"The government is making efforts to swiftly restore the administrative system. - Kim Kwang-yong, Disaster Safety Management Headquarters"

Seoul, Sep 28

The interior ministry said on Sunday it has begun gradually resuming operations of the administrative computer network at the state data centre in the central city of Daejeon after a fire caused by a battery explosion crippled the system.

The fire broke out at the National Information Resources Service in the central city of Daejeon on Friday after a lithium-ion battery exploded in a computer room on the fifth floor, reports Yonhap news agency.

As of 7 a.m., the government had restored more than 50 percent of network devices at the centre, according to the ministry.

Of the 767 key security-related devices, 99 percent had begun functioning again, it said.

The ministry said it will gradually begin running 551 computer systems that were not directly affected by the fire in a bid to review whether the online service is operating normally.

Of the total 647 government network systems at the center, 96 were presumed to be damaged by the recent blaze, including the mobile identification system and online postal service.

Of the affected services, 436 are public programmes and 211 are intranet systems for government officials.

"The government is making efforts to swiftly restore the administrative system. We will disclose the progress in the recovery work and the cause of the fire in a transparent manner," said Kim Kwang-yong, chief of the Disaster Safety Management Headquarters.

The fire service and police plan to carry out on-site inspections in a bid to determine the cause of the fire.

Government officials said the explosion occurred in one of the centre's uninterruptible power supply batteries while workers were disconnecting them from servers to relocate them to the basement.

The flames were completely extinguished at 6 p.m. Saturday, some 22 hours after the outbreak, authorities said.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see they're restoring services quickly. 50% network devices already restored is impressive. Hope our Indian government systems have similar disaster recovery plans in place.
A
Arjun K
Lithium-ion battery safety needs more attention worldwide. We've seen similar issues in India with electric vehicles and power banks. Proper handling protocols are must! âš¡
S
Sarah B
While the recovery progress is good, I'm concerned about the transparency promise. Governments often say they'll be transparent but then details get buried. Hope South Korea follows through properly.
K
Kavya N
22 hours to extinguish the fire shows how serious it was. Thank God no casualties reported. Data centers should have better fire suppression systems. This is a wake-up call for all countries.
V
Vikram M
The fact that 99% of security devices are functioning again is reassuring. Cybersecurity is crucial when systems are being restored. Hope they're monitoring for any vulnerabilities during this transition period.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50