Seoul, Sep 29 (NationPress) A total of 62 online public services in South Korea, including a significant government portal and the banking division of the national postal service, were successfully restored on Monday after an outage triggered by a fire at the state data management agency.

As reported by the government, by noon, 62 out of the 647 public administration systems that had been suspended post the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon, approximately 140 kilometers south of Seoul, were back online.

The restored services included the integrated public service management system and resident registration system from the interior ministry, along with the science ministry's postal and logistics system.

However, the government-wide intranet, Onnara System, remains offline, causing interruptions in various operations from policy-making to procurement of work-related goods and services.

An official from the industry ministry mentioned that booking flights and accommodations for a delegation negotiating a tariff agreement with the United States will now have to be performed in writing, bypassing the usual electronic authorization.

The government has emphasized that it is prioritizing the restoration of services crucial for public safety and economic activities, but the slow recovery process is likely to prolong many administrative procedures as local government offices reopened following the weekend.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung expressed his sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused to the public during a meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Sejong, bowing in remorse.

The minister indicated that immediately restoring services linked to 96 systems affected by the fire will be challenging, but the government aims to transition them to a cloud at the NIRS' branch in Daegu and generate alternatives promptly.

Vice Interior Minister Kim Min-jae later stated in a press briefing that the relocation and restoration process is anticipated to take about four weeks.

Some of the restored services include GOV.KR, a principal government portal for civil application services, and the banking sector of Korea Post, the national postal service.

Applications for the second round of government-issued consumption coupons are now possible; however, a government site designated for civil complaints remains suspended, necessitating visits to local community service centers for complaint filings, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

A nationwide cremation booking site has similarly been affected by the outage, compelling individuals to reach out to specific crematoriums either online or by phone.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung extended an apology to the nation on Sunday, acknowledging the considerable inconvenience and anxiety experienced by the public due to the fire.

He instructed the government to ensure a swift restoration of services in advance of the Chuseok holiday, a period marked by heightened demand for postal, delivery, and financial services.

The fire was ignited by an exploding lithium-ion battery in a server room on the fifth floor of the NIRS and was fully extinguished by 6 p.m. Saturday, approximately 22 hours after it began, as reported by authorities.

Police have assembled an investigation team consisting of around 20 personnel to ascertain the fire's cause, with three specialists in lithium-ion batteries also assigned to the investigation, according to a police spokesperson during a regular press briefing.

The NIRS indicated in response to inquiries that the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries that ignited were deemed normal during periodic tests last year and this year; however, their replacement had been advised due to surpassing their ten-year lifespan.

The agency further clarified, countering reports that the batteries ignited during replacement, that they were being relocated to the basement to ensure they were distanced from the servers.