SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - The massive administrative network disruption in South Korea, caused by a fire at the National Information Resources Service headquarters in Daejeon, Friday night, is being linked to a lithium-ion battery for an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that was in use for over a year past its recommended 10-year lifespan.
As officials have launched a full-scale investigation into the incident, the focus is falling on the potential role of both the aging hardware and possible workplace mistakes during a planned equipment transfer.
The UPS lithium-ion battery that ignited the blaze in the NIRS server room on Sept. 26 was originally supplied and installed in August 2014.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety confirmed that the battery, reportedly built with cells from LG Energy Solution, had exceeded its 10-year functional life. "Using such batteries past their recommended lifespan can lead to quality defects and increase the risk of accidents," said an industry source.
Neither the ministry nor NIRS has offered a clear explanation as to why the aging battery was still in operation.
Authorities initially explained that the fire broke out in one disconnected battery while 13 workers were moving the UPS units from the 5th-floor server room to the basement. The incident occurred during the third of four planned relocation attempts, with the first two having been completed without issue.
However, a conflicting account from an industry source suggests that the fire may have been caused by "human error" during the relocation. This theory posits that an electrical short circuit occurred when cables were disconnected before the battery's power was properly shut off — a critical safety step in the relocation process.
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