Google’s Bid for South Korean High-Precision Maps Sparks National Security Concerns (Image courtesy of Google)
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Google said Tuesday it will blur sensitive sites on its map and satellite image services to address Seoul’s national security concerns ahead of its decision this week on whether to allow overseas transfer of high-precision map data.
“Just like in other countries, we respect national security and are working closely with the Korean government to protect it,” Google Korea said in a statement posted on its blog, citing Cris Turner, vice president for government affairs and public policy at Google.
“We have already confirmed our commitment with the Korean government to blur satellite images as required, and will be exploring acquiring imagery from approved Korean third parties where appropriate,” the company added.
The post came just days before a government panel is set to decide on whether to approve Google’s request to export South Korea’s 1:5,000-scale high-precision map data. The panel meeting is slated for Friday.
In February, the U.S. tech giant submitted an application to the state-run National Geographic Information Institute (NGII), seeking approval for the transfer of 1:5,000-scale map data to its data centers abroad.
The proposal has sparked a heated debate due to concerns that the export of detailed map data could expose military bases and other sensitive facilities. South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea, as the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Google emphasized that the 1:5,000-scale map data is a public “national base map,” approved by the NGII and already used by most domestic mapping services in Korea.
“To handle the millions of simultaneous requests from users worldwide, including those researching travel from outside of Korea, Google must rely on its globally distributed data centers for smooth, real-time processing,” the company said. “This technological necessity is why we are applying for permission to run the 1:5000 scale national base map through our distributed data centers.”
Google previously made similar requests in 2007 and 2016, but both were rejected by the South Korean government due to security concerns.
The issue had also surfaced in recent trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington, with the map data restrictions cited as a potential non-tariff barrier against U.S. companies.
(Yonhap)
