South Korea is slowly getting its government computer systems back online after a fire sparked by a battery explosion shut them down. The Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that they’ve restored more than half of the network devices at the affected center in Daejeon, but full recovery could take about two weeks.
The trouble started Friday when a lithium-ion battery blew up in a computer room on the fifth floor of the National Information Resources Service building. By early Sunday morning at 7 a.m., over 50% of the devices were up and running again. That’s a big win for the 767 key security-related ones—99% of them are now working.
The ministry plans to test 551 systems that escaped the fire directly, checking if online services like mobile identification and postal options are functioning properly. Out of 647 total government networks at the center, 96 took damage from the blaze.
Right now, the Onnara System—crucial for public sector work—offers only limited features, with major parts still offline. Officials aim to move those damaged systems to a backup site in Daegu, wrapping up the South Korea government network restoration in roughly two weeks.
Good news from the Finance Ministry: Their main platforms, including the state financial information network and subsidies portal, are back in action. Meanwhile, the Science Ministry reported that Korea Post’s financial services resumed by 9 p.m. Sunday, covering debit card use, online banking, and ATMs. Mailing services should restart early Monday, though full normalization will need more system updates and close monitoring.
Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said, “We’re pushing to get Korea Post’s mailing and financial services fully back to normal, with ongoing checks for any lasting damage.”
Firefighters and police are investigating what went wrong. The explosion happened as workers disconnected uninterruptible power supply batteries from servers to move them to the basement. Crews finally put out the flames Saturday evening at 6 p.m.—about 22 hours after it started.
Kim Kwang-yong, head of the Disaster Safety Management Headquarters, added, “The government is working hard to restore the administrative system quickly. We’ll keep you updated on recovery progress and the fire’s cause transparently.”
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
