Overview
- A multi-ministry panel suspended deliberations and set a Feb. 5, 2026 deadline for Google to submit revised documents.
- Reviewers cited discrepancies between Google’s public commitment to remove coordinate data and what the company filed.
- Google is seeking approval to transfer 1:5,000-scale map data to overseas data centers after applying in February 2025.
- The panel includes the defense, foreign affairs and science ministries given national security concerns over sensitive sites.
- The United States has criticized Seoul’s mapping restrictions as a non-tariff barrier, while Google currently uses 1:25,000-scale data with aerial and satellite imagery in Korea.