Last year’s fire at the National Information Resources Management Center in Daejeon was caused by human error, stemming from poor construction by unregistered contractors, inadequate management and oversight, and insufficient initial response. The center also requested firefighters to refrain from using water to extinguish the blaze, which exacerbated the damage.
On September 7, the Board of Audit and Inspection released its findings on the fire's cause and response, identifying 18 instances of illegal or improper conduct. It called for disciplinary actions against those involved and urged the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Information Resources Management Center to implement measures to prevent recurrence.
The fire broke out on September 26, 2025, at 8:16 p.m. during lithium battery relocation work in the center's 7-1 computer room. It was fully extinguished by 6 p.m. the following day, after approximately 22 hours, but the computer room was completely destroyed, leading to the suspension of services for 709 information systems. Full system recovery took over three months.
The National Forensic Service estimated that the fire was caused by a failure to properly implement safety measures, such as disconnecting power to the battery racks and insulating cable terminals.
The audit revealed that only one of the eight battery racks had its power disconnected during the dismantling process. Additionally, the insulation of cable terminals was inadequate, resulting in sparks between the fourth and fifth battery racks.
The work was carried out by contractors that were not even registered for electrical work. The National Information Resources Management Center had contracted a joint venture of companies A and B for the battery relocation project worth 3.04 billion won in June 2025. However, A subcontracted its share of the work to company C, while B effectively delegated the project to A. Company C then assigned the transportation and dismantling tasks to two unregistered firms.
The National Information Resources Management Center did not verify the registration status of the actual construction entities, despite being informed that B's employees did not attend project meetings and that external personnel were involved. There were no procedures to ensure the preparation of work plans or to check for technical support from manufacturers.
After the fire, the center only made internal reports and called emergency services, failing to take actions such as cutting off power or providing fire blankets. When firefighters attempted to use the indoor fire hydrant, the center requested that they refrain from using water due to concerns about damage to the network. Water suppression efforts did not begin until approximately three hours after the fire started, at 11:13 p.m.
The disaster recovery system was virtually non-functional. Of the 709 systems at the time of the fire, only 54 had disaster recovery systems, accounting for just 7.6%. Among these, only seven systems were actually utilized for recovery, representing a mere 0.98% of the total systems.
Data backup management was also inadequate. Of the 690 backup data storage facilities, 237 were located in the same computer room as the originals, and 349 systems had their storage devices and backup facilities installed in the same room. This resulted in the loss of both original and backup data for some systems.
The Board of Audit and Inspection has recommended disciplinary actions beyond minor penalties for those responsible for the mismanagement of the battery relocation project, including a suspension for the team leader. It has also called for the National Information Resources Management Center to impose sanctions on the companies involved and to seek compensation for losses.
The Board stated, "Basic standards and principles were not adhered to in all areas, from fire prevention and initial response to disaster recovery and management. If these had been followed, the fire could have been prevented or the damage minimized, indicating that this was a disaster caused by mismanagement."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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