Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/01/south_korea_naver_kakao_resilience_rules/
Source: The Register
Title: Imagine a government that told Big Tech to improve resilience – then punished failures
Feedly Summary: It’s happening in South Korea
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has reportedly told local web giant Naver to improve its disaster recovery capabilities after not taking adequate measures to prevent service failures.…
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: South Korea is enhancing disaster recovery measures for major digital platforms following service failures at Naver and Kakao. The Ministry of Science and ICT’s intervention aims to improve resilience and accountability, particularly after new regulations were introduced post a significant data center fire.
Detailed Description:
The South Korean government, through its Ministry of Science and ICT, is taking significant steps to bolster disaster recovery protocols among large digital service providers in the wake of inadequate measures observed at Naver and Kakao. The situation emphasizes the increasing importance of regulatory oversight in ensuring the reliability of essential services that impact millions of users.
Key points included in the recent developments are:
– **Inspection Concerns**: An on-site inspection revealed that Naver’s disaster management plan was insufficient, particularly its Task Tracking System (TTS), which was deemed vulnerable to human error.
– **Mandated Improvements**: The Ministry has mandated Naver to transition from its manual task approval processes to an automated system by the end of 2024, enhancing operational reliability and minimizing human intervention risks.
– **Legislative Changes**: In response to the persistent issues faced by Kakao, especially following severe outages, South Korea revised its Basic Act on Broadcasting and Communications Development. This revision specifically targets platforms with large user bases (over ten million), requiring them to implement automated work management systems and submit to stricter regulatory oversight.
– **Past Incidents**: The government’s regulatory actions were partly inspired by a data center fire in 2022 that resulted in significant service disruptions across the country, which affected both Naver and Kakao.
– **Ongoing Monitoring**: The Ministry’s scrutiny extends to Kakao, which has faced multiple correction orders following outages and is currently under closer watch to ensure compliance with legislative standards.
This initiative reflects a broader trend towards strengthening compliance and governance frameworks within the infrastructure of digital services, particularly in the wake of operational failures that can have wide-reaching impacts on users and businesses alike. Security and compliance professionals should take note of these regulatory changes and the emphasis on accountability in disaster recovery strategies, which may influence best practices in the industry.