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E-government weaknesses laid bare after fire

Published: 05 Oct. 2025, 13:21

A firefighter sprays burnt batteries at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon on Sept. 27. [YONHAP]

A week has passed since a fire broke out in the server room of the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) headquarters in Daejeon, yet recovery remains slow. As of Thursday morning, only 112 of 647 e-government systems, or about 17 percent, had been restored. Even accounting for the scale of the damage, the pace appears too slow.

Korea has promoted its digital government as among the world’s best, lauded by the United Nations. The blaze has instead exposed a hollow reality, from weak safety management to poor system redundancy. Only 47 systems, or 7.2 percent, were built with duplication, while 248 systems, nearly 38 percent, had neither backup nor redundancy.

The most striking lapse was the destruction of the G-Drive, a cloud storage service used by some 125,000 civil servants in central government ministries. Because the system lacked external backup, all 858 terabytes of data stored as of late August were lost in an instant. The government had classified the G-Drive as a low-priority system and operated it with low-cost equipment. From 2018, officials were instructed to store their work files exclusively on the cloud drive storage system rather than on personal computers. For agencies such as the Ministry of Personnel Management, which relied entirely on the platform, operations have ground to a halt. Observers note that even in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the royal annals were preserved in four separate archives, while today’s digital government failed to maintain equivalent safeguards.

The information technology industry often refers to the “3-2-1” rule for backups: three copies, two devices and one offsite storage. The fire demonstrated the flaw of applying backup selectively, rather than comprehensively. Experts say the government must overhaul its information infrastructure and backup protocols.

Signs of human error are also under investigation. Authorities ignored recommendations to replace batteries after the recommended 10-year lifespan. Reports suggest that a small contractor and part-time workers were tasked with relocating lithium-ion batteries, raising concerns over professional capabilities and safety awareness. Evidence also points to violations of electrical safety procedures during work on uninterruptible power supply equipment. The police are investigating whether regulations were properly followed.

The government initially pledged to restore services within four weeks of the fire. But with progress lagging, that goal looks uncertain. During the Chuseok holiday, disruptions in public services such as cremation reservations will be unavoidable. Officials must accelerate recovery efforts during the extended break to minimize public inconvenience and anxiety.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.