Seoul: South Korea's postal operator announced on Monday the partial restoration of its mailing services, which were disrupted following a fire at a significant government data center last week. The fire incident had led to a suspension of services, causing concern among citizens as the extended Chuseok holiday approaches.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Korea Post has resumed mail and package shipping for both domestic and international routes, along with tracking services, beginning at 9:00 a.m. This move aims to reduce public inconvenience ahead of the holiday. However, certain services, such as the shipment of fresh goods and non-document express mail to the United States, remain unavailable.

The fire occurred at the National Information Resources Service located in Daejeon. It was triggered by an explosion of a lithium-ion battery in a computer room, which severely affected major government operations over the weekend. Korea Post has expressed its commitment to fully normalizing mailing services promptly, ensuring all deliveries, including packages, proceed smoothly before the Chuseok holiday.

In addition to mailing services, Korea Post had successfully restored its financial services, including debit card transactions, online banking, and ATM services, by Sunday. The incident prompted Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon to visit a central Seoul post office on Monday afternoon. He acknowledged the efforts of the workers in resuming postal services under challenging circumstances and encouraged continued efforts to mitigate inconveniences resulting from the data center fire.