The Seoul Metropolitan Government has established the nation’s first ‘handwritten document processing standard manual for work management systems’ to ensure that administrative services are not disrupted even in situations of computer failures or system paralysis. They will conduct a joint response drill applying this manual to real situations.
This initiative institutionalizes alternative procedures using paper documents, enabling the continuation of citizen-targeted administration, even when the computerized systems temporarily fail, given the increased reliance on digital administration.
The manual was developed following the prolonged shutdown of government computer systems due to a fire at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon last September, which paralyzed civil affairs processing and internal administration. The city government recognized the need to prepare a contingency plan to minimize administrative gaps in similar situations.
Seoul has adopted electronic documents since 1999, which have been expanded across all departments. Consequently, most employees who joined recently have not experienced handwritten document preparation or paper approvals. Considering that immediate response could be challenging during computer failures, a manual was established to ensure all employees, regardless of experience or generation, can respond uniformly with the same handwritten document procedures.
The standard manual for handwritten document processing in Seoul is designed to ensure the effectiveness and record management of administration even during computer failures. It includes procedures for document creation, approval, reception, and dispatch during system failures, document number allocation, and register management methods, exception handling criteria for documents requiring official seals, and procedures for re-registration and transfer of electronic documents after system recovery. Furthermore, it clearly defines the recognition and reporting system for computer failures, the role distribution by department, and the operation methods of emergency contact networks to minimize confusion on-site.
From February 3 to 5, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will conduct a joint mock drill involving over 720 departments, including the main office and affiliated offices, to verify the manual’s effectiveness on-site. This drill will presume a situation where the administrative portal and management systems are shut down, requiring all employees to perform civil affairs processing and internal approvals using the standardized handwritten document procedure.
This drill is not merely a formal check but a practical exercise wherein all employees verify that the nation’s first established standard manual can operate immediately even in actual disaster or failure situations. The entire process, from the recognition of computer failures to the activation of reporting systems, handwritten document creation and approval, document dispatch, and data integrity verification post-recovery, will be inspected with a focus on practice.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to strengthen the ‘business continuity response system,’ ensuring that administrative services continue regardless of computer failure through this manual and drill. They plan to supplement the manual based on the drill results and consider expanding its application to local districts and affiliated institutions.
Kang Ok-hyun, Director of the Seoul Digital City Bureau, emphasized, “Even if information systems temporarily stop, the administrative services perceived by citizens must not cease even for a moment. This manual is not merely a document management guideline, but the nation’s first administrative response standard that can operate immediately on-site in disaster or failure situations.”
