A massive fire at South Korea’s national data centre has halted hundreds of online government services, including postal and tax facilities, Reuters reported.
The flames likely started with a battery explosion at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeong City, about 85 miles (130 kilometers) south of the capital Seoul, media reported, at around 8:20pm local time on Friday.
This will lead to “thermal runaways” that release extreme heat in the server room, making it difficult for firefighters to contain Inferno, officials told the agency.
Prime Minister Kim Min-suk said the fire “paralyzes” the government’s internal digital platforms and shut down official email systems and several websites.
More than 600 online government services and systems remained on Saturday morning, including mobile ID systems and online postal services.
Kim warned that airport travelers who rely solely on mobile IDs could also face confusion, according to local media.
About 170 firefighters and 63 fire trucks rushed to the scene Friday.
According to Yonghap News Agency, one worker reportedly suffered first-grade burns to his face and arms while handling the battery.
National Data Service acts as a cloud server for many government services and databases in wired Asian countries, and as a data center elsewhere.
Lee Jae-young, head of the data center, did not receive any estimates at the briefing for Reeter, head of the service center.
The Home Office said the online platform for government complaints and petitions has also been suspended.
Kim apologized on Saturday for the inconvenience to the public and said the government would work quickly to restore services.
“It was difficult to contain the fire because the nature of the critical government system is concentrated on one site,” he told an emergency television conference.
