Services for 97 key systems at the National Information Resource Management Center (National Information Resource) in Daejeon, which were disrupted by a fire last year, will be restored within one hour through real-time redundancy. Notably, work on 13 critical systems will commence this month, and the aging Daejeon center is set to close by 2030.
On October 2, the Ministry of Interior and Safety released a report titled 'Status and Future Plans for Strengthening Information System Stability' to mark the one-year anniversary of the National Information Resource fire.
The government has been pursuing a fundamental redesign of the national information system since a fire on September 26, 2025, at the Daejeon headquarters' computer room, which paralyzed 709 administrative information systems, including Government24 and the National Petition System.
In response to the fire, which originated from a lithium battery, the government revised relevant regulations in February to prevent similar incidents in other administrative and public facilities. New standards were established to ensure that lithium battery rooms are separated from computer equipment and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and management standards were strengthened to monitor battery conditions and compliance with lifespan requirements.
A nationwide survey of 1,459 information system operation facilities identified 56 that did not meet the separation criteria for lithium batteries, and immediate improvements were recommended in May.
Hwang Gyu-cheol, head of the Ministry of Interior and Safety's Artificial Intelligence Government Office, stated during the briefing, "The government will track and manage the action plans and implementation status of each agency until completion. For facilities that cannot be directly improved due to spatial or structural constraints, we will support migration to private cloud services."
To ensure stable operation of information systems, related regulations have also been revised. The information system grading system has been restructured based on 'public impact,' and over 15,000 national information systems have been reclassified into grades A1 to A4.
Additionally, to prevent service interruptions or data loss during disasters, the revised grading system mandates the establishment of disaster recovery systems, training, and data backup and distribution. In particular, A1 grade systems will implement dual operation methods to ensure service recovery within one hour during disasters.
The government is accelerating the establishment of disaster recovery systems. Plans are being developed for disaster recovery systems for 97 A1 and A2 grade systems operated at the Daejeon center. Construction on 13 high-priority systems, including resident registration, postal information, and long-term blood management, will begin this month and is expected to be completed by the first half of next year.
For the remaining 121 A1 to A3 grade systems at the Daejeon center, a system for real-time data replication to the Gongju center will be established by the first half of next year, with plans to complete server operations by 2028.
Furthermore, data replication systems for A1 to A3 grade systems at the Gwangju and Daegu centers will be established by next year, with plans to quickly prepare for necessary server operations.
The Daejeon center will be closed by 2030 due to safety concerns stemming from the fire and aging infrastructure. Discussions have been ongoing since July with KT, Naver, and NHN Cloud regarding the establishment of a replacement center and the relocation of currently operating systems. The government plans to finalize related measures by the first quarter of next year.
Various options for the replacement center, including new construction or leasing, are being considered. The location requirements will be determined by considering all factors, including the scale and power needed for computer equipment installation and the distance from disaster recovery centers.
For system relocation, the government aims to analyze stability, security, and cost-effectiveness to develop plans for transferring systems to other centers or private clouds. This year, 50 systems will be selected for rapid migration to private clouds, with plans to significantly expand the number of systems to be relocated starting next year.
Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of Interior and Safety, stated, "Based on the follow-up measures from the past year, we will thoroughly prepare systems and regulations to ensure that a national disaster like the National Information Resource fire does not occur again."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.