South Korea approves Google Maps data export
South Korea has approved Google’s request to export the country’s high-precision map data to overseas servers, marking a major policy reversal after nearly two decades of resistance.
The move clears a significant hurdle for Google, whose Google Maps service has long faced restrictions in South Korea, one of the few countries where the platform does not fully function, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Seoul previously rejected similar requests from Google in 2007 and 2016, citing national security risks. Authorities had argued that detailed geographic data could potentially expose sensitive military and security facilities in a country that remains technically at war with North Korea.
Friday’s approval signals a shift in policy and could reshape South Korea’s digital mapping market, currently dominated by local platforms.
The decision also comes amid pressure from the United States, which has urged Seoul to address what it considers discriminatory treatment toward American tech firms.
News.Az
By Aysel Mammadzada
