South Korea continues to block Google Maps.

The South Korean government has decided to temporarily postpone approving Google's request for access to and export of the country's detailed geographic map data, a move aimed at cautiously assessing the security risks associated with digital data.

The Google logo at the company's research facility - Photo: CARLOS BARRIA

In the era of digitalization and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, Google Maps is not just a simple mapping tool, but also a crucial technological platform supporting billions of users worldwide in location tracking, navigation, and real-time traffic data analysis.

However, in South Korea, the issue of exporting detailed map data is becoming a "hot spot" in the confrontation between the commercial interests of technology corporations and stringent national security requirements.

In early August 2025, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport continued to delay its decision on Google's request to export detailed map data to international servers for processing. This is the latest development in a dispute that has lasted more than 15 years.

Since 2008, Google has repeatedly submitted requests to upgrade Google Maps, but these have all been rejected by South Korean security and defense agencies. In 2016, even though the government offered compromises such as placing servers domestically or blurring sensitive areas, Google still refused due to concerns about impacting performance and global synchronization.

Map data of "forbidden zones" in national security.

The sensitive political climate between South Korea and North Korea makes high-resolution topographic map data a critical security issue. Information related to military bases, strategic infrastructure, and defense systems is strictly controlled under South Korea's Geographic Information Security Act and Surveying and Mapping Act.

According to regulations, sensitive data is not permitted to be stored or processed outside the territory without government approval, in order to avoid the risk of leakage or exploitation for military purposes.

Google Maps operates on a global network of data centers, requiring high-speed access and synchronization to support satellite imagery analysis, object recognition, and traffic forecasting. Google believes that local processing limitations would degrade the service's performance and accuracy.

Conversely, Seoul insists on keeping the original map data within its borders to maintain absolute control. Experts warn that, with data at a scale of 1:5,000, even a partial leak would be enough to reveal the location and characteristics of key military facilities.

Technical and security challenges

The South Korean government faces two major challenges if it allows the export of map data: the risk of leakage during transmission or storage, and the loss of control once the data is no longer within the domestic system.

In response, Seoul plans to implement a multi-layered security mechanism, including close monitoring of queries from international servers, encryption combined with data fragmentation to prevent complete map reconstruction outside its territory, and an intrusion alert system to detect unusual activity early.

Currently, with these measures not yet fully reliable, the likelihood of South Korea allowing the original map data to leave its borders remains very low.

SONG TRI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/han-quoc-tiep-tiep-chan-google-maps-20250812005021057.htm