Seoul, October 12 (IANS). More than 36 percent of the South Korean government’s online administrative services have been restored, which were affected by a fire at a government data center last month. Officials gave this information on Sunday.
By 9 p.m., 260 of the 709 services affected by the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in the central city of Daejeon had been restored, recording a restoration rate of 36.7 percent, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Central Disaster and Security Countermeasures Headquarters said the restored services included the cultural ministry’s administrative support system for Korean culture centers and websites related to the public procurement service.
Currently, 30 of the 40 ‘Grade 1’ services considered most essential based on their impact and number of users in the four-tier system have been restored, achieving a recovery rate of 75 per cent. The recovery rate for ‘Grade 2’ services stood at 51.5 percent.
The fire at NIRS was caused by the explosion of a lithium-ion battery in the server room on September 26 and was completely extinguished the next day. Police are investigating the exact cause of the fire.
On October 10, President Lee Jae-Myung visited the state data center that was damaged by a massive fire last month and inspected the reconstruction work taking place there, the Presidential Office said.
Lee visited the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in the central city of Daejeon at a time when the government is accelerating efforts to restore online services after a fire destroyed key data storage systems.
Lee had originally taken leave after the extended Chuseok holiday, which ended on Thursday, but he decided to visit the state data center.
Observers say Lee’s decision to visit the data center on his day off was aimed at downplaying the controversy surrounding his recent appearance on a TV cooking show amid the disruption of online government services across the country due to the fire.
The ruling Democratic Party has defended Lee’s appearance as ‘appropriate to promote K-foods’, while the main opposition People Power Party has described it as inappropriate.
The government also faced criticism for its response to the incident, when it increased the number of malfunctioning systems from 647 to 709 just two weeks after the fire.
“The visit was organized to encourage government officials who are working tirelessly even during the holidays,” a presidential official told Yonhap news agency. He added, “This visit was pre-planned and has no connection with Lee appearing on the show.”
–IANS
ASH/DKP