Namkoong Whon, co-head of Kakao's disaster response subcommittee, speaks during an online conference, Wednesday. Captured from event

By Baek Byung-yeul

Kakao will invest more resources to enhance its data center backup system, strengthen fire extinguishing methods and introduce other measures to prevent service disruptions in case of a fire at a data center, the company said Wednesday.

During an online conference, the firm said it will innovate its safety measures through the establishment of its own data center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, expand investments in IT engineering governance, enhance emergency response plans and disaster recovery systems and launch a new organization dedicated to managing its infrastructure.

"Even now, we are trying to look back and make progress. Therefore, we will do our best to prevent such accidents in the future and we will always keep in mind that stabilizing Kakao's service is our top priority and social responsibility," Namkoong Whon, co-head of Kakao's disaster response subcommittee, said during the conference.

A fire occurred on Oct. 15 at a data center run by SK C&C in Pangyo, which houses Kakao's servers. The incident led to the disruptions of various Kakao services, including its messenger app KakaoTalk, for about 10 hours.

Although that data center was not operated by Kakao, the internet company faced a barrage of criticism for not having a proper backup system in case of such an accident.

The safety measures were announced a day after the ICT minister demanded Kakao, Naver and SK C&C to come up with improved data backup systems, strengthen anti-disaster drills, and offer compensation plans for consumers.

A concept image of Kakao's new data center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, which will begin operating in 2024. Courtesy of Kakao

As part of the response measures, Kakao has been building its own data center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, which will begin operating in 2024.

Ko Woo-chan, co-head of Kakao's disaster response subcommittee, emphasized that the power supply facility and battery room, which were the main causes of the Pangyo data center fire, will be separated by barriers so that even if a fire occurs in the battery room, it will not affect the operation of the remainder of the facility.

"The Ansan Data Center will actively respond to the golden time to extinguish a fire in the early phase," Ko said. "Also, the data center will be able to withstand extreme disasters, such as flooding, tidal waves, strong winds, and earthquakes."