"Announced First" VS "Found Out by Phone Call"... Ongoing Truth Dispute in Kakao Incident

Photo by SK C&C

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The conflict between SK C&C, the operator of the Pangyo data center, and tenant company Kakao is deepening following the fire incident at the SK C&C Pangyo data center. Both sides have been exchanging rebuttals regarding the initial response to the fire, escalating into a dispute over the truth.

According to industry sources on the 22nd, SK C&C released call records of the data center personnel the previous day, intensifying the truth dispute with Kakao. In the IT industry, while how and when the fire was reported can help determine responsibility, there are criticisms that the two sides are focusing more on shifting blame to each other rather than on recovery and countermeasures, given that the 'Kakao blackout' incident is not directly related to the data center fire, which is closer to a man-made disaster.

"Two Calls, Kakao Confirmed Fire at 3:23 PM, Four Minutes After Fire Started"

SK C&C stated, "On the 15th at 3:19 PM, the fire broke out, and by 3:23 PM, just four minutes later, we informed and evacuated client company employees, including Kakao personnel at the Pangyo data center site." This is a rebuttal to Kakao's claim that they recognized the fire only after SK C&C contacted them by phone first. Previously, Kakao claimed that they only understood the fire situation after calling SK C&C between 3:40 and 3:42 PM.

According to the call records released by SK C&C, at 3:35 PM on the 15th, Kakao Enterprise called to inquire about the cause of a server failure. SK C&C reportedly responded during this call that "a fire alarm had gone off and was being checked." Then, at 3:37 PM, Kakao made another call asking about the server failure cause, during which the person in charge conveyed the fire alarm information.

It is unclear whether Kakao was aware of the fire situation at 3:23 PM when SK C&C claims to have first notified them, but it can be inferred that they definitely recognized the fire after these two calls.

Additionally, SK C&C claims that after the first call, they were informed by fire officials that using water for extinguishing was unavoidable, and then notified client companies about the power shutdown. There is disagreement between the two sides over whether the power shutdown was a 'consultation' or a 'notification.' SK C&C emphasized that from 4:40 PM onward, they sequentially communicated with Kakao, Kakao Enterprise, Kakao Pay, etc., stating, "We were informed by fire officials that water use and power shutdown were unavoidable during fire suppression, and we informed and consulted about the power shutdown."

Kakao's Position: "SK C&C Notified Power Shutdown Without Consultation; Servers Already Unusable"

On the other hand, Kakao maintains that it was a 'notification,' not a consultation. Kakao stated, "SK C&C shut down the entire center's power at the request of the fire authorities and claims to have consulted with us, but the Kakao servers were already unusable immediately after the fire broke out."

However, Kakao warned that the dispute with SK C&C could become an unnecessary exhausting battle while they are focused on recovery and damage compensation efforts. A Kakao official said, "Regardless of the exact time the fire was recognized or whether the power shutdown was a notification, most servers were already unusable, so this part is no longer considered important," adding, "We are prioritizing damage compensation plans and resolving the situation."

Meanwhile, the police investigating the cause of the fire conducted a search and seizure at the SK C&C data center starting at 10:10 AM the previous day. The police plan to determine the cause of the fire through analysis of the secured materials and interviews with related parties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.