Korea conditionally approves Google request to export map data

The government on Friday approved Google's request to transfer Korea's high-definition map data outside the country while also requiring the U.S. tech giant to implement additional safeguards. A consultative body consisting of seven Korean ministries and private advisers held a meeting at the National Geographic Information Institute in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and finalized the approval. The decision to export the 1:5,000 scale map came after Google filed its latest request in February 2025. Korea had rejected similar requests by Google in 2007 and 2016, citing national security concerns that sensitive facilities, such as military bases, could be exposed. It is the first time Korea has allowed a foreign company access to high-precision map data. A key condition for Google to accept is requiring its partner firms in Korea to use servers here when processing the map’s raw data, for security purposes. The edited map must also be approved by the Korean government before being transferred outside the country. The map’s usage by Google is also limited to navigation and direction services.