Google map service expansion in South Korea

Google is working to introduce turn-by-turn navigation to South Korea, addressing a long-standing service gap caused by national security laws. For nearly two decades, the Act on the Establishment and Management of Spatial Data restricted the export of detailed digital maps to prevent the exposure of sensitive military and infrastructure sites.

Following government approval to use high-precision map data on overseas servers—contingent on blurring sensitive facilities—Google has begun obscuring satellite and aerial imagery of locations including the Blue House, the Ministry of National Defense, the National Intelligence Service, and major U.S. military installations like the THAAD base. High-resolution imagery of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has also been replaced with lower-resolution images.

Google aims to expand its core services, including vehicle and pedestrian navigation, by the first quarter of next year. To finalize this, the company must submit technical verification data to a government consultative body. While intended to protect national security, some experts have raised concerns regarding data sovereignty and the potential for inadvertently highlighting sensitive locations.