(LEAD) Normalization of state computer network expected to take 2 weeks following fire

▲ Officials from the fire service, police and the National Forensic Service enter the National Information Resources Service in the central city of Daejeon on Sept. 28, 2025, to determine the cause of a fire that occurred at the center on Sept. 26. (Yonhap)

▲ Firefighters move a lithium-ion battery burnt by a fire at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Sept. 27, 2025. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) state data center-restoration

(LEAD) Normalization of state computer network expected to take 2 weeks following fire

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SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- The interior ministry said Sunday it has begun gradually resuming operations of the administrative computer network after a fire caused by a battery explosion crippled the system, although a full restoration is widely anticipated to take around two weeks.

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.

As of 7 a.m., the government had restored more than 50 percent of network devices at the center, 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.

An official from the interior ministry noted the pangovernment intranet, the Onnara System, which is essential for the public sector, currently offers only limited services, with key features remaining shutdown.

The government said it is preparing to relocate the 96 damaged systems to the agency's branch in the southeastern city of Daegu, a process expected to take around two weeks for full restoration.

The finance ministry, meanwhile, said its key platforms, including the state financial information network and the government subsidies portal, have resumed operation.

Of the affected services, 436 are public programs 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 center'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.

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