Google Complies With South Korea’s Security Demands For Map Data Export

Google has agreed to meet the South Korean government’s security conditions by removing specific geographic coordinates from its maps.

This decision is aimed at gaining approval to export South Korea’s high-precision map data, which has been under review due to national security concerns.

Cris Turner, Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google, outlined the company’s steps during a press conference in Seoul.

He stated that Google would implement two additional measures to alleviate remaining security worries from the government.

Firstly, Google plans to deepen its partnership with local technology firms to provide high-quality navigation services within South Korea.

Secondly, Google will remove latitude and longitude coordinates from maps covering Korean territory, responding directly to Seoul’s demands.

Turner also mentioned that Google might procure government-approved satellite images from local partners such as Tmap Mobility Corp, a mobility platform under SK Square, if necessary.

Dispute Background

The South Korean government has historically restricted the export of high-precision maps at scales finer than 1:25,000 due to military and security reasons.

Google’s current request concerns the export of 1:5,000-scale map data, classified as a national base map by South Korea’s National Geographic Information Institute (NGII).

Google’s bid for approval follows previous attempts in 2007 and 2016, both of which faced government pushback.

The issue remains sensitive because detailed maps could reveal military sites and other critical infrastructure, raising concerns, especially given the ongoing technical state of war between South and North Korea.

In 2016, the government stipulated conditions for Google’s operation, such as blurring sensitive sites, using domestic images, or establishing a local data centre—requests that Google declined.

Yoo Young-seok, Director of Global Communications at Google Korea, emphasised the importance of accessing the 1:5,000-scale data to offer precise navigation services in the country.

He pointed out that such high-resolution base maps are commonly available globally without government export restrictions.

Yoo noted that while domestic Korean firms like Naver Corp and Kakao Corp use the NGII base map within South Korea via local data centres, Google has resisted building a data centre domestically, possibly due to corporate tax concerns.

He also dismissed the government’s 2016 suggestion to establish a local data centre as impractical.

This announcement by Google signals a willingness to cooperate more closely with South Korean authorities to resolve longstanding issues over map data exports.

The move is expected to facilitate smoother provision of advanced navigation services in South Korea while addressing the country’s security imperatives.

The ongoing dialogue between Google and Seoul will likely shape the future of map data management and related technology partnerships in South Korea.

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