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After a review by government officials and private experts,
authorities approved Google’s request to export 1:5,000-scale,
high-precision map data on the condition that it implements
security safeguards, such as limiting transfers to data
necessary for navigation services and excluding contour lines
and other sensitive information.
South Korean officials for years had rejected requests by
foreign tech companies such as Google and Apple to transfer
detailed mapping data to overseas servers, often citing security
concerns, such as the risk that rival North Korea could exploit
sensitive geographic information.
Google will have to process the data first on domestic servers
and receive government clearance before exporting it, the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. Officials
also required Google to remove coordinates from South Korean
territory and blur satellite and aerial images of military and
other sensitive sites in time-series services such as Google
Earth and Street View.
Google will be required to employ a compliance officer in South
Korea to handle map export issues, and the government may
suspend or revoke the approval if the company fails to comply
with the conditions, the ministry said.
In an e-mailed statement, Cris Turner, Google’s vice president
of government affairs and public policy, said the company
“welcomes today’s decision and looks forward to ongoing
collaboration with local officials to bring fully functioning
Google Maps to Korea.”
South Korea's restrictions have made it one of the few countries
where the globally dominant Google Maps has limited use, with
locals mostly relying on the services of South Korean internet
companies like Naver and Kakao.
Besides security issues, there have also been concerns about the
business impact on domestic firms. Some experts in favor of the
restrictions have argued that control over national mapping data
has become a matter of “sovereignty,” as it underpins emerging
technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotics and
data-driven "smart cities."
Critics say the restrictions hinder innovation and could be
undermining tourism, citing complaints from foreign visitors. In
South Korea, Google Maps lacks full walking and driving
directions.
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