The Mapping Dispute: Why Google Maps faces Limitations inโค South Korea
South Korea, a highly technologically advanced nation and one โคof Asia’s moast โdigitally connected countries, is a notable exception to the global reach of Google Maps. Unlike most places worldwide, Google โMaps functionality within South Korea remains considerably limited.
This restricted access represents a significant missedโข possibility โfor Google. With a tech-savvy populationโข of 51 million, South Korea presents aโ large potential market for Google’s navigation system and โadvertising network.Successfully penetrating this market โcould integrate South Korean consumers and businesses further into Google’s wider digital ecosystem.
The core of the issue dates back to the 2010s, when Google began requesting access to south Korea’s โฃdetailedโฃ 1:5,000 scale maps – significantly more precise than the publicly available 1:25,000 scale maps.Google maintains that this level of detail is standard practice and crucial for modern navigation services.
However, South Korea classifies these โhigh-resolution maps as aโ national security asset, prohibiting their export to overseas servers without explicit โฃgovernmentโฃ approval. While Google currently โaccesses some detailed mapping data โฃthrough a third-party provider, T Map, โthis โคaccess only supports basic features. Consequently, essential functions likeโข full navigation are unavailable, โขand South โKorean users rely on domestic โคalternatives such as Naver Map and KakaoMap for reliable directions and transit data.
South Korean officials express concernsโข that exporting precise mapping data could potentially expose sensitive locations,โ including military facilities. โฃInโ response, Google โขhas offered concessions, including agreeing to blur images of sensitive sites and, in September, proposing to โremove latitudeโข and longitude coordinates from itsโ South Koreanโข service if granted access.
Another โkey pointโค of contention is โฃGoogle’s reluctance to establishโค a local data center within south Korea.โค Such a center would subject Google to South Korean regulations regarding revenue reporting and tax transparency, as reported by the Korea Herald.
Cris Turner, Google’s vice president forโ Knowledge and information โPolicy, stated โคin an August blog post thatโฃ Google “is closely consulting with the South Korean government on how to implement the โrequirements such as securityโค measures requestedโ by the government.” He also indicated Google is considering “purchasing and utilizing government-approved images that have already been masked from domestic partners” if necessary.
A โdecision on Google’s request was initially anticipated in October, but South Korea’s Land Ministry postponed it to allow for furtherโ discussions. As ofโ this writing,a final decision is expected this โmonth.
