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Phased Recovery Underway After Battery Blast at South Korea’s State Data Center

Stabilized HVAC and security systems now enable a step-by-step restart of hundreds of government networks.

Overview

  • As of early Sept. 28, more than half of network devices were restored and 763 of 767 key security devices were back online, officials said.
  • Authorities plan to sequentially restart 551 systems not directly damaged, with 96 systems confirmed affected by the fire and no firm timeline for full recovery.
  • The blaze began Sept. 26 when a lithium‑ion UPS battery exploded during relocation work on the fifth floor, triggering thermal runaway; one worker sustained first‑degree burns.
  • A total of 647 government systems were preemptively shut after temperature and humidity controls failed, disrupting mobile ID, Korea Post services, legal databases and internal networks.
  • Roughly 384–400 destroyed battery packs were removed and submerged for safety, a joint police–fire–forensic probe is underway, the alert level was raised to the highest tier, and leaders ordered all‑out restoration with deadline extensions for affected services.