Police book 4 people in connection to state data center fire

▲ Firefighters carry a battery that caught on fire at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sept. 27, 2025. (Yonhap)

police-data center fire

Police book 4 people in connection to state data center fire

DAEJEON, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- Police booked four individuals Wednesday on suspicion of occupational negligence over last week's fire at the state data management agency, officials said Wednesday.

The blaze broke out Friday in a server room at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, after a lithium-ion battery explosion, prompting a police investigation.

The booked individuals include an NIRS on-site manager, two workers involved in battery relocation work and an official from the project supervision company, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police.

The fire is suspected to have started when workers were relocating lithium-ion batteries at the server room. NIRS has said the fire began about 40 minutes after the workers shut down the battery's power.

Police have secured CCTV footage to investigate the cause of the fire and have sent six lithium-ion batteries presumed to have first caught on fire to the National Forensic Service.

The blaze has caused massive disruptions to online government services, with only 15.1 percent of the services being restored as of Wednesday morning.

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