Because of the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon, some services related to the Ministry of Employment and Labor are also experiencing disruptions. Not only is the ministry's website inaccessible, but online use is unavailable for applications for relief for unpaid wages and unfair dismissal, and for reporting industrial accidents. Reviews for eligibility for the National Employment Support program are being delayed.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor held a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong on the 29th and said, "Computer systems including Nosa Nuri and Nosa Maru are completely down, causing disruptions in labor case handling and adjudication procedures," and added, "To ensure fairness, some adjudication cases are being postponed, and we are handling civil petitions manually and accepting them by fax and mail."
Because of this fire, the following all stopped: ▲ the ministry's main website ▲ the labor portal "Nosa Nuri" ▲ the National Labor Relations Commission's mediation and adjudication system "Nosa Maru" ▲ the Minimum Wage Commission (MWC) website ▲ the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Reconsideration Committee website ▲ internal email and messenger.
Among these, "Nosa Nuri" and "Nosa Maru" are the core gateways for filing and handling labor cases. Civil petitions in labor cases and the occupational safety and health field were urgently switched to manual processing instead of the computer system. Petitioners must visit local offices in person or file cases by fax or mail.
The same goes for reports related to industrial safety. Lump-sum payments in lieu of unpaid wages, submission of industrial accident investigation forms, notifications for asbestos dismantling and removal work, and notifications of appointment of safety and health managers are all blocked online and can only be handled by visiting local offices or by phone. Consultations on employment equality also must be filed via the main phone line instead of the labor portal.
By contrast, six first-tier core systems—including unemployment benefits payment, the employment and industrial accident insurance total service, qualification information (Q-Net), and services related to employment of persons with disabilities—are operating normally. Because of this, there is little disruption to unemployment benefits payments, but some auxiliary functions, such as income information linkage and Government Public Key Infrastructure (GPKI) login, are restricted. A ministry official explained, "Essential services such as unemployment benefits are being provided without disruption," adding, "However, as some linked systems have stopped, delays in handling civil petitions are unavoidable."
The ministry has activated an emergency response headquarters chaired by the Minister and established an emergency duty system at each local office. It has formed a task force dedicated to civil petitions to strengthen counseling and intake, while providing guidance on the service outage and alternative methods through Employment 24 and the customer service center (1350). It is also continuing public guidance through card news, website pop-ups, and building information boards.
It is expected to take at least two months or more to normalize the network. The ministry plans to continue its operations with manual processing and on-site intake.