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South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced Friday that the government has conditionally approved a request by Google to export 1:5,000 scale high-precision digital map data overseas, resolving a policy dispute that has persisted since 2007, according to local media sources. The decision was issued by an interagency review body including the Ministries of National Defense and Foreign Affairs, following a review of national security and trade implications.
The approval is subject to five security conditions. Under the government’s directive, Google must process raw map data on domestic servers operated by a local partner and obtain prior government clearance before any overseas transfer. The company is also required to obscure military and other sensitive facilities in satellite and aerial imagery, remove geographic coordinates for South Korean territory from its global services, and exclude contour line data from exported materials. Additionally, Google must designate a Korea-based compliance officer responsible for mapping affairs and implement an emergency suspension mechanism allowing authorities to halt data transfers in national security situations.
Cris Turner, Google’s vice president for government affairs and public policy, stated that the company “sincerely welcomes” the decision and anticipates continued collaboration with Korean authorities to expand Google Maps services within the country. James Kim, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, characterized the move as strengthening South Korea’s competitiveness in digital industries. Domestic critics, including Wi Gwang-jae of a local mapping firm, questioned the policy shift, arguing that high-precision mapping infrastructure developed through significant public investment should not be transferred to a foreign company without compensation.
South Korea has historically restricted the overseas export of detailed geographic data on national security grounds. Because the 1950–53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty, the government has maintained that detailed mapping information must remain on domestic servers to prevent potential misuse. Previous requests by Google, beginning in 2007, were denied under this policy framework.
The dispute also carried trade implications. US officials recently identified South Korea’s data localization requirements as a potential nontariff trade barrier and linked progress on digital market access to the possible withdrawal of proposed reciprocal tariffs. The government’s announcement did not specify whether the decision was formally connected to those discussions but acknowledged broader goals of strengthening South Korea’s position in the digital and artificial intelligence sectors.
Experts note that high-precision geographic information systems underpin emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, and smart city infrastructure, making control over mapping data an issue of strategic digital sovereignty as well as commercial competition. The ministry stated that it will continue monitoring compliance with the imposed conditions and may suspend or revoke the approval if Google fails to adhere to the security requirements. The implementation phase is expected to determine how the safeguards operate in practice and whether the arrangement remains consistent with South Korea’s national security framework.
The post South Korea conditionally approves Google’s high-precision map data export appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The approval is subject to five security conditions. Under the government’s directive, Google must process raw map data on domestic servers operated by a local partner and obtain prior government clearance before any overseas transfer. The company is also required to obscure military and other sensitive facilities in satellite and aerial imagery, remove geographic coordinates for South Korean territory from its global services, and exclude contour line data from exported materials. Additionally, Google must designate a Korea-based compliance officer responsible for mapping affairs and implement an emergency suspension mechanism allowing authorities to halt data transfers in national security situations.
Cris Turner, Google’s vice president for government affairs and public policy, stated that the company “sincerely welcomes” the decision and anticipates continued collaboration with Korean authorities to expand Google Maps services within the country. James Kim, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, characterized the move as strengthening South Korea’s competitiveness in digital industries. Domestic critics, including Wi Gwang-jae of a local mapping firm, questioned the policy shift, arguing that high-precision mapping infrastructure developed through significant public investment should not be transferred to a foreign company without compensation.
South Korea has historically restricted the overseas export of detailed geographic data on national security grounds. Because the 1950–53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty, the government has maintained that detailed mapping information must remain on domestic servers to prevent potential misuse. Previous requests by Google, beginning in 2007, were denied under this policy framework.
The dispute also carried trade implications. US officials recently identified South Korea’s data localization requirements as a potential nontariff trade barrier and linked progress on digital market access to the possible withdrawal of proposed reciprocal tariffs. The government’s announcement did not specify whether the decision was formally connected to those discussions but acknowledged broader goals of strengthening South Korea’s position in the digital and artificial intelligence sectors.
Experts note that high-precision geographic information systems underpin emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, and smart city infrastructure, making control over mapping data an issue of strategic digital sovereignty as well as commercial competition. The ministry stated that it will continue monitoring compliance with the imposed conditions and may suspend or revoke the approval if Google fails to adhere to the security requirements. The implementation phase is expected to determine how the safeguards operate in practice and whether the arrangement remains consistent with South Korea’s national security framework.
The post South Korea conditionally approves Google’s high-precision map data export appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.