Tech giant stresses navigation, mobility benefits in rare Seoul event, but Korea maintains high-precision geospatial data must stay tightly controlled
Google has reaffirmed its willingness to comply with South Korea’s stringent national security protocols as it seeks government approval to export high-precision map data — a highly sensitive issue that has sparked public and political debate in recent months.
At a rare press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday, Cris Turner, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google, underscored the company’s readiness to accommodate the Korean government’s requirements, including the removal of sensitive geospatial details.
“We’ve been in close communication with the Korean government to understand and address their concerns,” Turner said. “(As part of our commitment,) We will remove latitude and longitude coordinates for places in Korea.”
At the heart of the issue is Google’s long-standing request to export the country’s 1:5,000 scale national base map, developed by the National Geographic Information Institute. The highly detailed map serves as the foundation for most domestic mapping services and navigation systems.
Google continues to assert that exporting maps at a 1:5,000 scale is the minimal requirement necessary to implement local navigation services in Korea. However, industry insiders say that the request goes beyond merely boosting tourism services.
Instead, it is widely viewed as a strategic maneuver to pave the way for the US tech giant's expansion of new business ventures in Korea — most notably involving its autonomous driving subsidiary, Waymo.
Turner emphasized that the map under review contains no classified military information and has already cleared several government security evaluations. “This 1:5,000 base map is used by most domestic mapping services. ... It does not pose any threat to national security,” he added.
Google has previously agreed to blur satellite imagery of key military infrastructure as part of its compliance measures.
Nevertheless, Korean authorities have maintained a firm stance, reiterating that any export of geospatial data must adhere to strict security guidelines — particularly in concealing strategic infrastructure and omitting coordinate information that could compromise national defense.
Experts note that Korea’s 1:5,000 scale map represents an unusually high degree of spatial resolution. On the contrary, most advanced nations, including the UK, France, Germany and Japan, rely on 1:25,000 scale maps as their national standard.
Korea also maintains higher-resolution datasets at scales of 1:1,000 and 1:500, which provide granular detail sufficient to identify individual buildings, alleyways and road components.
Such precision is considered crucial for defense planning, urban development and next-generation technologies such as autonomous vehicles, digital twins and smart cities. The Korean government reportedly invests nearly 100 billion won ($72 million) annually to maintain this sophisticated geospatial infrastructure.
Despite Google’s recent concessions, many officials remain skeptical due to the company’s continued refusal to establish a local data center. Without domestic servers, Google is not obligated to disclose Korean revenue figures, prompting concerns over tax transparency and regulatory oversight.
The tech giant is estimated to account for nearly 30 percent of Korea’s total internet traffic, yet pays no domestic network usage fees — a longstanding source of tension with local IT companies.
“Google’s commitment to remove coordinates is a positive step,” said a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official. “However, unresolved issues such as local data storage and infrastructure localization still need to be addressed before any decision is finalized.”
Google had previously submitted export applications in 2011 and 2016, both of which were denied on national security grounds. The current application was filed in February. The Land Ministry recently announced that the verdict would be postponed to November to allow for further deliberation.
In the meantime, domestic mapping platforms such as Naver Map and Kakao Map are reinforcing their market presence by leveraging local advantages.
Naver Map has focused on hyperlocal content, integrating features such as AI-powered reviews and “My Place” recommendations. Kakao Map continues to refine its real-time traffic and routing services, earning praise from both daily commuters and tourists.
As global tech companies set their sights on Korea’s advanced geospatial resources, industry observers stress that maintaining robust regulatory oversight will be essential to protecting the country’s digital sovereignty.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
