Editorial: National Data Center Fire Exposes Comprehensive Management Failure

The fire at South Korea’s National Information Resources Service was not simply an accident. An audit found it to be an avoidable government-made disaster caused by failures across the management system.

The blaze disrupted 709 major government information systems last September. The audit found that critical safety work had been passed down through layers of subcontracting to companies that lacked the required qualifications. Even the fire-response manual intended for emergencies had never been distributed, making it a “ghost manual.”

The chain of failure began with the relocation of lithium batteries, the work that triggered the fire. The contractor that won the original agreement handed the job to another company, which then subcontracted it again to two firms that were not even registered electrical contractors. The workers failed to properly follow basic precautions, including cutting power and insulating cables.

The initial response was just as disorderly. Firefighters arrived and tried to suppress the blaze using an indoor fire hydrant, but the National Information Resources Service reportedly ...