Battery relocation work that led to a fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) center in Daejeon that paralyzed the country's national data network involved unqualified workers and illegal subcontracting.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday that it has booked five people — one NIRS official, one from the project management firm and three employees of construction companies — on charges of professional negligence resulting in a fire. A total of 29 individuals have been questioned, including senior NIRS officials.
Workers failed to follow safety protocols and conducted the work without cutting power to the batteries, according to the investigation team. They also failed to use required insulation materials and did not properly discharge the batteries before beginning the relocation process.
Police confirmed that the workers involved had no prior experience with large-scale battery relocation, though they had previously installed such systems. Experts say relocation is riskier than installation because it typically involves handling units with higher charge levels. Due to cost concerns, the construction firms did not involve battery manufacturers in the relocation work.
Police believe the fire was triggered by the inexperience of the workers and lax safety measures during the process.
![Investigators carry seized items after a raid at the National Information Resources Service on Oct. 2. [NEWS1]](https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/10/22/0000078655_002_20251022164311027.jpg?type=w860)
A police official said the workers “had ample experience installing new uninterruptible power supply systems, but almost no experience relocating them,” noting that all three battery-related projects conducted at the NIRS this year involved installation or dismantlement, not relocation.
The cause of the fire is expected to be determined by late November, following a detailed analysis by the National Forensic Service, which is currently analyzing six batteries collected from the scene, with stabilization, recharging, discharging, simulation tests and battery integrity checks expected to take about a month.
During the investigation, police found that the relocation project had been carried out through a chain of illegal subcontracting. Under the Electric Construction Business Act, subcontracting for such work is prohibited.
However, two companies that won the public bid through the Public Procurement Service subcontracted the project to a third company, which in turn handed it off to two additional firms.
Police also discovered that the two primary contractors falsified employee records to make it appear as though subcontractor workers had been temporarily hired by their own companies. As a result, no employees from the original contractors were actually on-site during the battery relocation.
Police plan to consider charges against both the main and subcontracting firms for violating the Electric Construction Business Act, while continuing to investigate the fire.
“While the precise cause of the fire will be determined after forensic analysis, we will continue to investigate the rule violations and illegal subcontracting, and those responsible will be held accountable,” a police official said.
Separately, police are investigating 11 individuals on suspicion that NIRS employees leaked the project’s request for proposals in advance to telecommunications firms. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety filed a formal complaint earlier this month, saying the proposal — which allegedly included the names of NIRS personnel — had been leaked before the public tender was announced.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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