Rep. Han Jeong-ae reviews data submitted by Foreign Ministry
Diplomatic network glitches at overseas missions number in the hundreds each year
81 missions have built backup lines since last year
Work stoppages cut sharply even when failures occur
'Redundancy work needed for all overseas missions'
Diplomatic information network failures at South Korea's overseas missions have topped 2,000 since 2024. But missions equipped with satellite backup lines have cut actual work stoppages to around 10 minutes, data show.
In the past, a single glitch could halt operations for days, but with backup networks in place, missions can now quickly resume work even when the main line goes down. Since diplomatic network outages can disrupt services for Koreans abroad and diplomatic operations, calls are growing to expand the backup systems.
Rep. Han Jeong-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, obtained data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It showed line and equipment failures on the diplomatic information network at overseas missions numbered 667 in 2024 and 944 last year. This year, 528 more occurred through the end of July, bringing the cumulative total since 2024 to 2,139. The ministry counted an outage as a line disruption lasting more than an hour, excluding cases not attributable to telecom operators, such as power outages at missions or natural disasters.
The diplomatic information network is the key communication line linking the ministry's headquarters with missions abroad. It handles not only the exchange of diplomatic information but also public services such as passport and visa issuance. When it fails, emergency passport issuance, civil affairs documents and visa processing are suspended, forcing Koreans abroad to revisit missions or face delayed entry. Access to internal information systems, such as the ministry's internal portal, and the transmission of diplomatic cables can also be disrupted.
However, the length of actual work stoppages has fallen sharply since the backup lines were installed. Since last year, the Foreign Ministry has been pursuing a satellite communication redundancy project that allows missions to switch to satellite lines as backup when the main dedicated line fails. Under this system, missions can continue processing document distribution and consular affairs through the backup network even when the main line is down.
As of August, 81 of South Korea's 195 overseas missions have satellite backup lines in place. In addition, wired dedicated-line redundancy has been installed at 44 missions, and secure dual internet channels are in place at 48.
The Cambodian Embassy, for instance, saw its main dedicated line fail three times between January and July 10, 2025, before the satellite backup was installed. The outages halted operations for a combined 23 hours and 23 minutes. The individual outages lasted 5 hours 42 minutes, 15 hours 17 minutes and 2 hours 23 minutes, respectively.
But things changed after the satellite backup was installed on July 11, 2025. On Sept. 30 that year, restoring the main line took 23 hours and 38 minutes. But the actual work stoppage after the outage was detected was limited to about 10 minutes. On April 25 this year, restoring the main line took two days, one hour and 21 minutes, but the work stoppage was again around 10 minutes. Even when the main line itself was not restored, operations could continue by switching to the backup network.
The Embassy in India saw a similar effect. Before the satellite backup was installed, a single main-line failure on July 6, 2025, halted work for one day, 15 hours and 37 minutes. In total, six failures before the backup was installed caused a combined two days and 22 minutes of work stoppages.
After the satellite backup was installed on July 7, 2025, actual work stoppages fell to around 10 minutes even when main-line failures lasted for extended periods. In an outage on June 25 this year, restoring the main line took one day, 13 hours and one minute. The work stoppage after detection was around 10 minutes. According to the Foreign Ministry, switching to the satellite backup when the main line fails requires mission staff to manually restart security equipment. This process takes about five to 10 minutes.
The Consulate General in Dubai also saw a single failure in July 2025 that halted operations for two days before the redundancy system was installed. But after installing a satellite backup in December 2025, the consulate experienced an outage in March this year in which restoring the main line took five hours and 44 minutes. Yet the actual work stoppage was limited to around 10 minutes.
Diplomatic network failures are difficult to eliminate entirely, which is why the focus is shifting from the number of outages to how much actual work stoppage can be minimized. This is why calls are growing to keep expanding the number of missions equipped with redundancy systems such as satellite backups.
"The diplomatic information network is core infrastructure not only for the safety and public services of Koreans overseas but also for exchanging diplomatic information between countries," Han said. "The ministry should swiftly push forward the project to build redundant dedicated lines so that all overseas missions can operate stably."
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