South Korea has once again postponed its decision on whether to approve Google’s request to transfer accurate map data about the country’s geography to an international server.
In February, Google requested a confirmed approval from South Korea’s National Geographic Information Institute to deploy a 1:5,000 scale map to domestic apps and transfer the data to overseas servers, a spokesman for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Korea.
The government was supposed to finalize the decision within 60 days by mid-May, but the deadline was still under discussion and so it moved to August 11, a spokesman said.
This is Google’s third request to Korea on the topic, following previous requests in 2011 and 2016. According to media reports, Tech Giant is currently using a 1:25,000 scale map containing points of interest and satellite images. The 1:5,000 scale high-precision map provides a more detailed view that can be included even on the narrowest streets.
When South Korean officials rejected Google’s request in 2016, they said approval would only be granted if a US tech company set up a data center in Korea. The country also asked Google to blur sensitive locations, such as national security facilities, on maps, for security purposes.
Google has not yet said whether to set up a data center in Korea. The company operates a variety of data centers around the world, including Asian countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
Government data restrictions have affected the performance of Google and Apple Maps in Korea. Foreigners and tourists often have trouble navigating Google Maps due to limited information and languages supported, and often rely on the use of local apps that do not support many foreign languages.
Local navigation apps such as Naver Map, TMAP, and Kakao Map are the most popular among local users. These apps provide map data on a scale of 1:5,000, which provides much more information and details. Released in 2002, Naver Map has 27 million active users (MAUS) per month, with Kakao Map and TMAP having approximately 11 million and 24 million Mauss respectively.
Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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