South Korea has formally given greenlight to Google’s request for exporting high-precision map data to overseas servers, marking an end of a 20-decade-long ban.
This landmark decision allows Google to fully operate its mapping services in a market previously dominated by local players, such as Kakao and Naver.
In 2007 and 2016, South Korea rejected Google's bid on national security grounds.
The recent approval has been won on certain conditions. Google would be required to meet strict security requirements while dealing with its operations, as confirmed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The condition to protect sensitive information for the sake of national security is non-negotiable due to the ongoing technical state of war with North Korea.
The conditions also include blurring military and other sensitive security related facilities and restructuring specific coordinate data on Google Maps and Google Earth.
To process map data, Google will only use locally based servers and is only permitted to export pre-approved navigation and direction services data.
Google is also instructed to establish a security incident prevention framework to deal with emergency issues.
Moreover, the South Korean government will retain the right to request map revisions.
The decision also reflects the US’ growing pressure on South Korea, urging the government to address perceived discrimination against American tech companies.
South is the country where Google Maps does not work properly and the digital mapping landscape is often dominated by local players.