South Korea’s government rushed to restore digital services after a fire at its main data hub crippled operations nationwide, with President Lee Jae-myung apologizing to the public and pledging sweeping reforms to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Lee said he was “deeply sorry” for the disruption and ordered urgent restoration of services tied to daily life, including postal deliveries, passports and financial platforms. He promised citizens would not face penalties for missing administrative deadlines, calling the crisis an opportunity to build stronger safeguards.

The blaze, caused by a lithium battery explosion at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, knocked out hundreds of government systems ranging from the finance ministry’s platform to Korea Post’s online banking. While most financial services and security devices have since been restored, many portals, including the government’s public website, remain inaccessible. Officials estimate full recovery could take up to two weeks.

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol held an emergency meeting Sunday to assess recovery work on 13 key fiscal systems. Platforms such as dBrain, the e-Nara subsidies portal and Korea Post’s debit card and ATM services resumed by late Sunday evening, while additional systems are being reconnected in stages, the finance ministry said in a statement.

Later, Lee chaired a two-hour meeting with ministers, provincial governors, and private cloud experts. He pressed officials to strengthen backup procedures in other cities and ordered the rapid creation of a dual operating system. Rebuilding trust in government digital services, he said, must be a top priority.

Authorities are investigating the fire, which was extinguished after nearly a full day. In the meantime, Lee directed his administration to consider private-sector cooperation and urged the presidential AI Strategy Committee with leading a broader overhaul of the nation’s digital backbone.