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President Lee urges better conditions for civil servants after official's death

Published: 04 Oct. 2025, 15:52

SARAH KIM
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President Lee Jae Myung, left, is briefed about public security and safety efforts over the Chuseok holiday by police officers at a police station in central Seoul on Oct. 3. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Lee Jae Myung called for improved working conditions for civil servants Saturday after the death of an official who had been working on restoring online government services.

"We must pay special attention to improving working conditions for civil servants who are working tirelessly day and night with a heavy sense of responsibility to restore the people's daily lives and overcome a national crisis," Lee was quoted as saying by Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, in a statement Saturday.

The remarks came a day after a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official in charge of restoring online government computer systems after a data center fire fell to his death at the Sejong government complex.

In late September, a fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon crippled hundreds of online government services that are in the process of being restored.

Kim said the president made the remarks during a meeting of the AI government infrastructure governance and innovation task force, which was convened to discuss the swift restoration of online government services and fundamental improvements to the state data management systems.

The task force, in turn, announced plans to improve the treatment of front line civil servants engaged in critical public safety tasks, letting the recent NIRS fire serve as a turning point.

The task force also said it will mobilize all available public and private resources to restore and relocate the 96 systems burned in the Daejeon fire to the Daegu center.

It also agreed to prioritize necessary budget allocations for recovery, establish a reserve fund and request increased support from the National Assembly during next year's budget review process.

The task force further decided to reexamine the current national information system management system from the ground up, seeking private sector expertise and international case studies to redesign governance structures suited for the AI era.

"We will continue to do our utmost to restore the national computer network as quickly as possible to resolve the inconveniences to the people," Kim said, adding that the task force will continue to hold in-person and videoconference meetings during the Chuseok holiday to prepare follow-up measures.

Lee on Friday expressed condolences over the death of the Interior Ministry official who had "dedicated himself until the very last moment of his life to fulfill his mission as a public servant."

Later Friday, Kang Hoon-sik, his presidential chief of staff, paid respects at the official's funeral hall in Sejong.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]