Even if the two TRC 2 SYSTEMS which were affected by the NIRS fire on September 26th, 2025 were both recovered, does that mean that the associated DATA was recovered? We don’t know.
Above — our AI representation of digital data.
Please note that the following is purely speculation through ChatGPT. As such, the ChatGPT section below is NOT anything official. We just want to know what the difference is between a SYSTEM and DATA with respect to the NIRS fire on September 26th, 2025.
We think this is a very LOGICAL question to ask in the wake of all that we have recently learned about the impact on TWO TRC 2 SYSTEMS by the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) fire on September 26th, 2025.
Two TRC 2 SYSTEMS are confirmed to have been affected by the NIRS fire, but were later RECOVERED. For PROOF of this, please see:
President Lee Jae Myung’s blog highlights the restoration of two TRC 2 systems that were impacted by the National Information Resources Management (NIRS) fire on September 26th, 2025.
Notice from the National Information Resources Service (NIRS): Status of Information System Recovery + Complete System List —includes Two TRC 2 SYSTEMS which were affected by the fire but RECOVERED.
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What is UNCLEAR to us is whether or not the DATA from these affected SYSTEMS were damaged or successfully recovered.
This is particularly important because of the nature of the SYSTEMS which were damaged and later recovered — especially number 564:
301. Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Truth and Reconciliation Commission Website
*564. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Investigation Information System
IMPORTANTLY:
Even though it has been reported that the TRC 2 SYSTEM listed as “564. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Investigation Information System” was damaged and recovered — was its DATA damaged and / or recovered?
This is the important information we want to know.
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Our Unofficial ChatGPT Query:
Some BOLDS and blue highlighting ours.
We asked ChatGPT:
“With reference to what was lost in the G drive fire at NIRS on Sept 26th, 2025 in Daejeon, S. Korea, what is the relationship between a SYSTEM in Korea and DATA? If a system was lost in the fire and later restored, would the data also have been restored?”
ChatGPT responded:
“The short answer is: a “system” and its “data” are related but not the same thing—and restoring one does NOT automatically mean the other is restored. The NIRS fire is actually a textbook example of that distinction.
1) What is the relationship between a “system” and “data”?
A system = the infrastructure and software
(servers, storage arrays, operating systems, applications like G-Drive)Data = the actual content
(documents, files, databases stored inside the system)
👉 Think of it like this:
The system is the library building + shelves
The data is the books
You can rebuild the building—but if the books burned and there are no copies, they’re gone.
2) What happened in the NIRS fire (Sept 26, 2025)?
A fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) destroyed 96 systems
95 of those systems had backups, so they could be restored
But the G-Drive system had no backup at all
As a result:
The system (G-Drive platform) could theoretically be rebuilt
But the data (~858 TB) stored on it was permanently lost
3) If a system was lost and later restored, would the data also be restored?
Only if backups exist.
Case A — With backups (most NIRS systems)
System destroyed → rebuilt
Data restored from backup
✅ Result: both system and data come back
Case B — Without backups (G-Drive)
System destroyed → rebuilt
No backup of data
❌ Result: system returns, data is gone permanently
This is exactly what officials reported:
“The remaining 95 systems have backup data…”
G-Drive did not, so its data could not be recovered
4) Why people often confuse this
Because in modern “cloud-like” systems:
Users see only the interface (e.g., G-Drive)
They assume data is automatically safe
But physically:
Data still lives on hardware in a specific place
If that hardware is destroyed and there’s no backup elsewhere, the data disappears
5) Key takeaway from the NIRS incident
System recovery ≠ data recovery
Data survival depends entirely on:
backups
redundancy (copies in other locations)
The NIRS fire showed a critical failure:
A working system can be rebuilt—but data without backup is irreplaceable
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Even though it has been reported that the TRC 2 SYSTEM listed as “564. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Investigation Information System” was damaged and recovered — was its DATA damaged and / or recovered?
This is the important information we want to know.
The article below discusses how 858 TB of government data was lost for good in the NIRS fire on September 26th, 2025.
Our question is — was the DATA related to the TRC 2 SYSTEM listed as “564. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Investigation Information System” part of the 858 TB of government data that was lost in the NIRS fire?
And if so — what does this mean for the TRC 2 and TRC 3 investigations?
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“858 TB of government data may be lost for good after South Korea data center fire.”
Destroyed drive wasn't backed up, officials say
October 06th, 2025
By Matthew Gooding
“South Korea’s government may have permanently lost 858TB of information after a crucial hard drive was destroyed in a fire at a data center in Daejeon.
As reported by DCD, a battery fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center, located in the city of Daejeon, on September 26, has caused havoc for government services in Korea.
Goodbye G-Drive?
Work to restore the data center is ongoing, but officials fear data stored on the government’s G-Drive may be gone for good.
G-Drive, which stands for Government Drive and is not a Google product, was used by government staff to keep documents and other files. Each worker was allocated 30GB of space.
According to a report from The Chosun, the drive was one of 96 systems completely destroyed in the fire, and there is no backup.
“The G-Drive couldn’t have a backup system due to its large capacity,” an unnamed official told The Chosun. “The remaining 95 systems have backup data in online or offline forms.”
While some departments do not rely on G-Drive, those that do have been badly impacted in the aftermath of the fire.
A source from the Ministry of Personnel Management said: “Employees stored all work materials on the G-Drive and used them as needed, but operations are now practically at a standstill.”
As of Saturday, only 115 of 647 affected networks had been restored, a recovery rate of 17.8 percent. A full recovery is expected to take a month. The government says it will offer alternatives to the most important services.
Four people have been arrested as police investigate whether professional negligence contributed to the fire.
Worker on data center restoration project dies
Meanwhile, a government worker overseeing efforts to restore the data center has died after jumping from a building.
As reported by local media outlet The Dong-A Ilbo, the 56-year-old man was found in cardiac arrest near the central building at the government complex in Sejong City at 10.50am on Friday, October 3. He was taken to hospital, and died shortly afterwards.
The man was a senior officer in the Digital Government Innovation Office and had been overseeing work on the data center network. His mobile phone was found in the smoking area on the 15th floor of the government building.
Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said he was not involved in the police investigation into the fire, but that the circumstances around his death, including whether overwork was a contributing factor, are being investigated.
DCD sends its condolences to the man’s family, friends, and colleagues.”