The city of Seoul said on the 28th that to minimize inconvenience to residents caused by the suspension of some computer systems due to the fire at the National Information Resources Service, it has been operating the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters since the 27th with Oh Se-hoon serving as Deputy Minister.
Because of the fire, 64 of Seoul's 411 total computer systems—including 38 public-facing services and 26 internal systems—have been suspended or are not fully functioning. Immediately after the National Information Resources fire, the city activated a "permanent disruption response system" staffed by 450 dedicated personnel to assess the status of the disruptions.
In addition, the city informed residents of the disruption status via its main website, social media, and the 120 Dasan Call Center. Of the 38 public-facing services affected so far by the fire, including resident registration, welfare, youth, and transportation, 27 have completed preparations to prevent harm to residents by using handwritten intake, alternative authentication, and direct input. The city is making every effort to restore the remaining services as quickly as possible.
In this regard, at 11 a.m. the city held a meeting of deputy heads of district offices to discuss on-site civil service response plans in case restoration is delayed. At the meeting, the city asked that detailed notices be posted on the website and elsewhere and that staff provide thorough explanations at civil service counters so that residents visiting community centers and district office service desks do not experience inconvenience. It also requested checks to ensure that alternative measures such as handwritten intake and Alimtalk notifications are operating smoothly in the field.
Meanwhile, at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held that morning, the city proposed to the government swift sharing of damage status and restoration schedules, diversification of authentication systems, operation of handwritten document intake counters, and temporary approval of handwritten payments for subcontracting fees to ensure prompt restoration and reduce inconvenience for residents. It also plans to make additional proposals on issues such as improving problems that may arise when issuing seal certificates in situations where both ID verification certificates and fingerprint recognition systems are unavailable, and the need to proactively inform the public about inconveniences related to people's livelihood recovery consumption coupons.
Oh Se-hoon said, "Computer disruptions caused by the fire are a serious issue that directly affects residents' daily lives," adding, "We will mobilize all available resources to activate our response system and work with the government to do our utmost to normalize services and minimize inconvenience to residents."