Police have deployed investigators specializing in lithium batteries to the forensic examination to investigate the cause of the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS).
At a regular press briefing on the 29th, a police official said, "About 20 people, including the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency criminal division chief and Head of Team, are exclusively investigating," and added, "Separately, three scientific investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency specializing in lithium batteries were additionally deployed to the examination."
Earlier, at the NIRS, at about 8:15 p.m. on the 26th, a fire broke out while separating the lithium-ion battery for an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and the server. The fire was completely extinguished a day later.
Since then, police have conducted three on-site forensic examinations and are investigating. Based on interviews with those involved, closed-circuit (CC)TV footage, and joint forensic materials, police plan to investigate why sparks flew from the lithium-ion battery and the specific circumstances at the time of battery separation.
Due to the NIRS fire, 8 out of the police's 96 systems, including four related to civil complaints, are experiencing operational disruptions. The Lost Property Integrated Management System (LOST112) has suspended text message notifications, including for lost item intake. As the National Secretary service became inoperable, associated functions such as notifications for the application and processing of criminal record certificates are not operating.
A police official said, "There is no problem with public safety activities in broad terms, but we will prepare according to our business continuity plan to achieve 100% normalization."