Google has announced it will comply with South Korean government security requirements to secure approval for exporting high-precision map data. This follows a prolonged debate and two previous rejected applications. The key concession involves removing latitude and longitude coordinates for all locations within South Korea from Google Maps. This measure aims to alleviate national security concerns surrounding the potential exposure of sensitive military installations and other strategically important sites.
Google’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Cris Turner, stated during a press conference in Seoul that the company is committed to providing world-class navigation services in Korea. To this end, Google is strengthening its collaboration with local technology firms. This enhanced partnership will help ensure the smooth operation of its navigation services even with the removal of geographic coordinates from its data.
The decision to remove coordinates builds upon Google’s earlier efforts to address South Korean security concerns. Previously, the company blurred sensitive locations on its maps and satellite imagery. This latest move reflects Google’s willingness to meet the government’s stringent requirements for data export. South Korea prohibits the overseas transfer of high-precision maps with a scale finer than 1:25,000 due to national security protocols.
Google’s application to export its 1:5,000-scale map data has been a point of contention. While Google argues this data is publicly available and used by most domestic mapping services, the South Korean government has expressed reservations. Despite claiming technological limitations necessitate processing data abroad, Google’s stated willingness to enhance communication with the government and fully comply with regulations suggests a confident anticipation of approval for its data export application.
