The Google logo is seen on the Google house at CES 2024, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 10, 2024. Reuters-Yonhap
SEOUL — South Korea is likely to approve Google Inc.’s request to transfer high-precision map data overseas, industry sources said Thursday.
The government is expected to decide in favor of allowing the U.S. technology giant to export 1:5,000-scale digital map data to its overseas data centers at an interagency meeting scheduled for Friday, the sources said.
“Nothing has been finalized as this is a sensitive issue with many factors under consideration. However, no ministry is firmly opposed to granting approval,” a government official said.
Google filed its latest request in February 2025, seeking permission to export 1:5,000-scale digital maps.
Earlier this month, the company submitted supplementary materials to the transport ministry in support of its application. The additional documents reportedly address most of the government’s requirements, including measures to mask sensitive domestic security facilities and limit the exposure of precise geographic coordinates.
The submission also includes technical explanations outlining how Google would process and manage the map data if approval is granted. However, it does not contain specific plans to establish a data center in South Korea.
A key issue in the debate over exporting high-precision map data is whether Google will build a data center in the country. According to sources, the company presented alternative measures to constructing a local data center in its supplementary materials.
Currently, Google provides map services in South Korea using publicly available 1:25,000-scale map data, supplemented by aerial and satellite imagery.
The United States has previously raised concerns over South Korea’s restrictions on high-precision map exports, describing them as a non-tariff barrier.
Google made similar requests in 2007 and 2016, but the government rejected them, citing national security concerns, including the potential exposure of military bases and other sensitive facilities.
