Prime Minister Kim Apologizes for Public Inconvenience Over National Intelligence Resources Fire... Vows Thorough Investigation

by Son Seonhee

Published 27 Sep.2025 09:37(KST)

Prime Minister Kim Minseok stated on the 27th, regarding the fire incident at the National Intelligence Resources Management Agency, "There may be inconveniences in daily life, such as delays in civil service processing or disruptions in the issuance of certificates due to malfunctions in the national information system," and added, "I would like to offer my apologies to the public experiencing these inconveniences."

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is presiding over a countermeasure meeting related to the fire at the National Intelligence Resources Management Agency held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on September 27, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of September 27, at the Government Seoul Office, Prime Minister Kim presided over a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting related to the administrative information system disaster at the National Intelligence Resources Management Agency. He said, "Our top priority is to focus on swift recovery," and continued, "We will provide information as quickly and specifically as possible regarding which services are affected and when recovery will be completed." He emphasized, "By reducing uncertainty, we aim to minimize public inconvenience."

Prime Minister Kim also addressed the ministers of each department, saying, "It is extremely important for everyone to have a clear understanding of the situation," and urged, "We need to begin fact-finding to determine the extent of the current situation and what it may impact."

He further stated, "Although it is not certain, for example, if mobile identification is currently not functioning, there are concerns that people who are planning to use only mobile identification at the airport for immigration today may experience inconvenience," and added, "Such matters should be announced in advance." He also noted that, with the Chuseok holiday just about a week away, "This is a period when parcel deliveries are in full swing, so there should be announcements advising people to prepare physical identification for any processes currently conducted using mobile identification."

Prime Minister Kim stressed, "While responding urgently, we must thoroughly investigate the cause of this incident and establish measures to prevent recurrence," and added, "We need to examine whether the backup systems or emergency response manuals for the network functioned properly during the fire, as well as the circumstances of the fire and the response process."

He also said, "Institutional improvements need to be supplemented," and continued, "Although the Minister of the Interior and Safety will take the lead in practical response from now on, there is a risk that each ministry may not fully recognize the current issues being checked and addressed, so please share information so that everyone can remain alert." He concluded, "I hope we can thoroughly discuss future reporting plans and institutional improvement measures as well."