On the 29th, the first workday for public officials after the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS), work ground to a halt in many places. Various computer systems were paralyzed.
◇ Mobile public official ID not recognized… difficulties starting with passing through entry doors
At about 8:50 a.m. that day at the central building of the Sejong Government Complex, one public official could not pass through the entry door. The plan was to tap the "mobile public official ID" embedded in the phone and walk through as usual, but the public official ID application (app) was not working. Most public officials brought the physical ID cards they do not normally carry and got through the doors that day, but some who were not prepared found it difficult from the start of the workday.
◇ Could not use work email or remote-work systems either … "What about preparing for the audit?"
Logins to the "Integrated Public Official Mail" used for work by public officials were also blocked. Public officials can send and receive work-related documents only through the public mail system. It was completely unavailable over the weekend. A public official at a government ministry, identified as A, said, "Ministries handling international affairs have to exchange messages with foreign organizations even on weekends, but the mail system was down, so it was an emergency."
The public mail system was partially restored on the morning of the 29th. Measures were taken to allow logins using GPKI (Government Public Key Infrastructure) instead of the mobile public official ID, but many public officials had not been issued certificates, making it still difficult to use, they said.
GVPN (Government Remote Work Service), which allows work from home or on business trips, and the "National Assembly Legislative Data Electronic Distribution System" were also down. If restoration is delayed for a long period, there are concerns that the October National Assembly audit could be disrupted. The National Assembly, ministries, and affiliated agencies exchange thousands of requests and responses for audit materials through the National Assembly system.
A public official, identified as B, said, "Many people use GVPN over the Chuseok holiday to prepare for the audit, and I'm worried that at this rate everyone will have to come into the office during the holiday to prepare for it." The 2025 National Assembly audit is scheduled for Oct. 13–30. The preceding week, Oct. 5–9, is the Chuseok holiday.
◇ Official document drafting and registration systems also stopped; writing by hand on paper and filing in binders
Drafting and registering official documents also ran into trouble. The "Onnara System," used by all ministry officials for tasks such as document drafting and approvals, went down. Important official documents are being handwritten and kept in separate binders. An official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "We are using fax for urgent document transmission," adding, "We are also making maximum use of alternative systems such as KakaoTalk."
The government work systems currently unavailable are: ▲ Onnara (electronic approvals) ▲ Ontalk ▲ G-Drive ▲ Mobile Public Official ID ▲ GVPN (Government Remote Work Service) ▲ Government Complex management website (visitor approvals, etc.) ▲ KONEPS ▲ Korea Ministry of Government Legislation National Law Information Center.
An official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "We have issued response guidelines to all public officials and will ensure there is no disruption to business continuity."