Google reaches agreement with South Korea on map data

South Korea will now let Google transfer its high-precision map data to servers outside the country. This is a major change after years of rejecting similar requests, according to Reuters.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport says the approval comes with strict security rules. Google must blur military bases and other sensitive locations. In addition, it cannot show exact coordinates for South Korean sites on Google Maps or Google Earth.

Google also has to process map data on servers inside South Korea. It can only send navigation and direction data abroad if the government approves it first.

Authorities will keep oversight and can ask Google to update maps when needed. Google must also set up a system to prevent and respond to security incidents.

South Korea has been one of the few countries where Google Maps operates with limited functionality, enabling domestic firms, including Naver and Kakao, to dominate the digital mapping market. The latest decision follows pressure from the U.S., which has argued that restrictions on the export of map data amount to discrimination against American technology companies.