SEOUL, South Korea — A significant fire at a key government data center in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, has triggered widespread nationwide outages, severely disrupting public services, financial transactions, and digital communications across South Korea.
The blaze, which reportedly started in the server room of the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) facility, was brought under control after several hours, but not before causing extensive damage to critical infrastructure. The NIRS data center houses servers for numerous government ministries and agencies, as well as essential public services.
Widespread Digital Blackout
The immediate aftermath saw an unprecedented digital blackout, impacting services from online banking and public transportation payment systems to national identification verification and government websites. Citizens reported being unable to access mobile apps for essential services, process online payments, or utilize digital public kiosks.
“We understand the immense inconvenience and frustration this has caused our citizens and businesses,” said Prime Minister Kim Dong-hyeon in a televised address on Saturday evening. “Our government is mobilizing all available resources to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.”
Major commercial banks, telecommunications providers, and public sector organizations that rely on the affected data center reported severe disruptions. Automated teller machines (ATMs) experienced intermittent failures, and online payment gateways for various merchants were rendered inoperable. Public transit systems in several cities faced issues with their digital ticketing and payment infrastructure, leading to manual processing and delays.
Government Mobilizes Response
Emergency response teams, including fire services, police, and IT experts, were dispatched to the Gwacheon facility. While no casualties were reported from the fire itself, the extensive damage to servers and network equipment has made restoration efforts complex and time-consuming.
Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Soo-jin emphasized the gravity of the situation. “This incident underscores the fragility of our highly digitized society. Our top priority is to restore essential services and ensure the stability of our digital infrastructure, while also conducting a thorough review to prevent future occurrences.”
Authorities have established an emergency task force to coordinate recovery efforts, with teams working around the clock to assess the damage and implement backup systems. Initial reports suggest that while some data might be recoverable through redundant systems, the physical damage to hardware will likely prolong the full restoration process. The government has not yet provided a definitive timeline for when all services are expected to be fully operational.
Investigation Underway
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Early indications point to a potential electrical fault within a server rack, but officials have stated that a comprehensive forensic analysis will be required to determine the precise origin and contributing factors. The incident has prompted renewed calls for enhanced cybersecurity measures and more robust disaster recovery protocols for critical national infrastructure.
The widespread outages have highlighted South Korea’s deep reliance on its digital infrastructure and raised questions about the resilience of its national data centers against such catastrophic events.
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