Overview
- Google said it will remove latitude and longitude for places in Korea and blur sensitive sites to address national security concerns.
- The company will explore purchasing pre-approved local satellite imagery, including from Tmap Mobility, to comply with government rules.
- South Korean law blocks overseas transfers of maps finer than 1:25,000; Google is seeking approval to process the 1:5,000 national base map abroad.
- Officials postponed a verdict on Google’s February application until November as agencies review risks such as exposure of military facilities.
- A sticking point remains Google’s reluctance to host data on local servers, which officials tie to oversight and tax transparency, while Naver and Kakao continue to dominate locally hosted mapping services.