Korea clears exporting map data for Google, ends 19-year dispute
South Korea on Friday approved Google's request to export detailed map data overseas, resolving one of the longest-running digital trade disputes between Seoul and Washington.
Korea's interagency review body on geographic data exports voted to allow Google to take 1:5,000-scale map data out of the country under strict security conditions, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. The 1:5,000 scale is the same standard used by domestic services such as Naver Maps and Kakao Map.
Google first requested the data in 2007. The government rejected that bid and a second attempt in 2016, citing national security concerns tied to the armistice with North Korea on the Korean Peninsula. A third request, filed in February 2025, was deferred three times before Friday's vote.
The approval means Google can, once conditions are met, at last offer turn-by-turn driving and walking navigation in South Korea for the first time.
The review body, which included the Ministries of National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Science and Trade, as well as the National Intelligence Service, attached five conditions.
Notably absent is the government's previous demand that Google build and operate its own data center in Korea. Instead, raw data will be processed on domestic servers operated by a local partner, with only government-reviewed information, limited to base maps and transportation networks, cleared for transfer.
Coordinates for South Korean territory must be removed or restricted on Google Maps and Google Earth's global services. All satellite and aerial imagery, including historical archives and street view, must be processed to obscure military and sensitive facilities. Contour data is excluded from exports entirely. Google must also implement a "red button" mechanism for national security emergencies and station a dedicated map affairs officer in Korea.
The government retains the right to suspend or revoke its approval if conditions are not met.
The decision did not emerge from a shift in either the long-running security or tax debates. Instead, it came amid escalating US trade pressure.
The United States Trade Representative has for years labeled Korea's map data restrictions a nontariff barrier, calling Korea "the only market in the world" to maintain such limits. A joint statement from the November 2025 bilateral summit pledged to "facilitate cross-border transfers of information, including location data" and ensure US firms do not face "discriminatory or unnecessary barriers" in digital services.
The pressure sharpened after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs, prompting the administration to pivot toward Section 301 investigations, a trade enforcement tool that allows Washington to target countries it deems guilty of unfair practices. Korea's digital trade restrictions are widely seen as a potential target.
A government official told local media that Seoul had weighed "which cards we could play without compromising national interests," adding that the decision was made hoping for "a positive spillover into other areas" of the bilateral relationship.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea welcomed the decision, with Chairman James Kim calling it "a constructive step toward enhancing Korea's competitiveness as a global digital powerhouse."
"Korea invests 150 billion won every year through the National Geographic Information Institute in producing precision maps. The idea of handing that over to a foreign company for free — with no compensation — makes no sense," Wi Gwang-jae, an official at a mapping and surveying firm, told KBS on Friday.
Until now, domestic platforms have faced little outside competition. That may be about to change.
Naver Map led domestic map app usage with about 26.5 million monthly active users as of February 2025, commanding roughly 70 percent of the market, followed by T Map at 14.4 million and KakaoMap at 10.6 million, according to Mobile Index, a local app analytics service.
Google Maps, which currently lacks navigation in Korea, still registered 8.8 million monthly users.
During a government consultation in March 2025, Naver, Kakao and Tmap Mobility argued that granting Google access to the same base data they use would effectively let the company replicate their core services without matching their domestic investment.
Cris Turner, Google's vice president for government affairs, said the company "sincerely welcomes" the decision. The review body, for its part, recommended that Google "contribute to Korea's spatial data industry and balanced regional growth."
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