South Korea sacks state data center head after massive fire

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korea’s National Information Resources Service (NIRS) director was dismissed from his position following an extensive service disruption caused by a fire at the center's facility in September, officials reported on Saturday.

The fire, which broke out at the NIRS on Sept. 26, damaged servers and severely impacted key online administrative systems, including government websites and local community center platforms nationwide.

In a recent personnel reshuffle, the Interior and Safety Ministry removed Lee Jae-yong, the NIRS director, from his role, along with a senior official who had led the ministry’s digital government innovation office, according to a ministry representative.

The move came after Lee and three other officials were booked for negligence leading to the fire, the official confirmed, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.

“Director Lee has been placed on standby," the official said, adding: "We'll do our utmost to ensure the recovery work of the system is completed without any issues."

Earlier this month, the government announced that more than 95% of the services at the data center, located in Daejeon, had been restored.

The fire was believed to have been caused by an explosion of lithium-ion batteries in a server room, and it was extinguished the following day.