Google announced on Tuesday that it will comply with the South Korean government’s demand to blur sensitive satellite imagery on its mapping services, a move that could allow the US tech giant to compete more effectively with local navigation platforms.
South Korea remains one of the few countries—alongside Russia and China—where Google Maps does not offer full functionality. This is largely due to national regulations requiring that companies store core geospatial data on servers located within the country, a requirement Google has historically resisted.
As a result, domestic platforms such as Naver and Kakao have dominated the local digital mapping market, leaving foreign visitors to navigate with unfamiliar tools and limited options.
On Tuesday, Google confirmed publicly for the first time that it will comply with Seoul’s stipulations.
“We have already confirmed our commitment with the government to blur satellite images as required, and we’ll be exploring the acquisition of imagery from approved Korean third parties where appropriate,” said Cris Turner, Google’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy, during a press briefing.
The announcement may signal the resolution of a nearly two-decade standoff, during which Google repeatedly lobbied for access to South Korea’s detailed mapping data to enable full walking and driving directions. However, the South Korean government has consistently refused to export such data, citing national security concerns.
Turner added that Google will invest “a lot of time and resources” into removing coordinates of sensitive security installations from its maps in accordance with South Korean laws.
Access to Google Maps has also surfaced in recent trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington. During talks that led to a last-minute tariff reduction under former US President Donald Trump, South Korea raised the issue of geospatial data access as a key concern.
According to the South Korean presidential office, high-precision mapping data was one of the most extensively discussed topics between the countries’ trade ministers. However, it emphasized that no additional concessions were made on South Korea’s part.
Industry sources told AFP that discussions between South Korean and US officials are ongoing, with the potential export of high-resolution map data still under review.
AFP
