# Fire Destroys Government Data Center... NO BACKUPS

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGjXwvD9tB4
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/pGjXwvD9tB4
Generated: 2025-10-08T21:32:13.581+00:00

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## Quick Overview

A fire at South Korea's National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center destroyed the government's G-Drive cloud storage system, resulting in the permanent loss of 858TB of critical data for approximately 750,000 civil servants because the backup data was stored in the same room, a catastrophic failure attributed to sparks during an attempted UPS battery replacement.

**Key Points:**
- The fire at the NIRS Daejeon headquarters destroyed South Korea's G-Drive cloud storage system, causing the permanent loss of 858TB of government data.
- The lost data included work files for approximately 750,000 civil servants, with services like mobile IDs crashing due to the disruption.
- The internal backup data for G-Drive was stored separately but physically located within the same computer room as the primary system, leading to the loss of both.
- The fire reportedly started when sparks flew during the process of replacing the UPS battery unit, which contained batteries that had expired in 2024.
- The government is attempting to recover data from local files saved on personal computers and printed records, with restoration of 96 damaged systems expected to take at least four weeks.
- The incident highlights severe failures in data redundancy protocols, as the large-capacity, low-performance storage structure lacked external backups.
- Police booked four individuals in connection with the fire, blaming negligence related to the battery replacement procedure.

![Screenshot at 00:28: Text overlay detailing the loss of 858TB of government data affecting 750,000 civil servants due to the fire at the G-Drive cloud storage system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-00-28.png)

**Context:** The video discusses a major data loss incident in South Korea where a fire at a government data center crippled key services, including mobile IDs. The incident occurred at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) facility in Daejeon, leading to the destruction of the G-Drive cloud storage system used by hundreds of thousands of civil servants. The context emphasizes the critical failure of backup systems and the resulting government scramble to recover essential documentation.

## Detailed Analysis

The video details the catastrophic data loss event in South Korea stemming from a fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center, which destroyed the government's G-Drive cloud storage system. This resulted in the permanent loss of 858TB of data relied upon by about 750,000 civil servants, causing widespread service disruptions, including the crash of Korean mobile IDs (02:13). A critical oversight revealed in the investigation was that while the primary system was destroyed, the backup data, though stored separately, was located in the same computer room, rendering it useless (01:25). The fire's cause was linked to sparks generated while replacing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) battery unit, some of which had expired in 2024 (00:06, 00:47). The government's recovery efforts focus on alternative sources like locally saved files and printed records, expecting at least four weeks to restore the 96 damaged systems (02:33). Furthermore, the video contrasts this failure with the ease of modern cloud backups (01:55) and critiques the UK's proposed digital ID card system as potentially dangerous (08:34) given the South Korean disaster. The hackers responsible for a separate data leak are shown actively recruiting followers via Telegram to email corporate executives for money, illustrating the ongoing threat landscape (05:46).

### South Korea Data Center Fire

- Fire at NIRS Daejeon headquarters destroyed G-Drive cloud storage
- Permanent loss of 858TB of government data
- Data loss affected 750,000 civil servants
- Backups were also in the same room, leading to total loss

### Cause of Fire and System Failure

- Fire reportedly started by sparks during UPS battery replacement
- UPS batteries had expired in 2024
- The system relied on large-capacity, low-performance storage without external backups

### Recovery Efforts and Impact

- Restoration of 96 damaged systems expected to take over four weeks
- Government scrambling to recover data from local PC files, emails, and printed records
- Mobile IDs crashed, causing disruption to appointments (02:13)

### Ransomware Group Activity (ShinyHunters)

- Group offering $10 in BTC for emailing executives of listed companies
- Offering more money for unique executive emails not on their list
- Threatening to leak data on October 10, 2025, if demands are not met

### Contrasting Security Failures

- Comparison made to older Wi-Fi wardriving techniques (03:31) and the immense scale of the 858TB loss versus typical data breaches (06:32)

### UK Digital ID Proposal Context

- Video pivots to critique the UK's proposed digital ID system ('BritCard')
- Polling shows public opposition (45% oppose vs 53% support)
- Government is pushing the agenda despite public concern and the South Korean warning

![Screenshot at 00:00: News banner showing charred remains of server equipment following the South Korea digital disruption fire](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 00:04: UPS battery cabinet with one battery highlighted and stamped 'EXPIRED', illustrating the likely ignition source failure](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-00-04.png)
![Screenshot at 00:28: Text box detailing the destruction of the G-Drive cloud storage system and the loss of data for 750,000 civil servants](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-00-28.png)
![Screenshot at 01:13: Politicians inspecting the fire-damaged server modules submerged in a water containment pool](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-01-13.png)
![Screenshot at 01:46: Headline showing the scale of the loss: 'South Korea Loses 858TB of Government Data in Fire After Skipping Backups'](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-01-46.png)
![Screenshot at 03:04: Satellite map of Daejeon showing two buildings on fire icons, indicating a second fire occurred nearby shortly after the main incident](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-03-04.png)
![Screenshot at 03:33: Hak5 'WiFi Coconut' device, cited as an example of specialized hardware used for Wi-Fi sniffing/wardriving](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-03-33.png)
![Screenshot at 05:46: Image of a hacker in a balaclava looking confused at a laptop, symbolizing the criminal element behind data extortion](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-05-46.png)
![Screenshot at 06:22: Text screen from the ShinyHunters group instructing followers on how to participate in their extortion campaign by emailing executives](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-06-22.png)
![Screenshot at 08:25: YouGov polling chart showing that 68% of the public disapprove of the proposed UK digital ID card system as of October 2025](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/pGjXwvD9tB4/00-08-25.png)