By Alimat Aliyeva

South Korea has once again delayed its decision on whether to
allow Google to transfer high-precision geographic map data of the
country to its overseas servers, raising ongoing questions about
national security, data sovereignty, and digital infrastructure,
Azernews reports.

In February, Google submitted a formal request to the Korean
National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) to use 1:5,000
scale high-precision maps in its services within South Korea and to
export that data to its global data infrastructure, a spokesperson
from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed
to TechCrunch.

Although the government was initially expected to respond within
60 days — by mid-May — the deadline has now been pushed to August
11 as interagency discussions continue.

This marks Google’s third attempt to obtain such approval from
South Korea, following similar requests in 2011 and 2016.
Currently, Google Maps in South Korea operates at a 1:25,000 scale,
offering limited street-level detail compared to local
competitors.

The proposed 1:5,000 scale would significantly enhance
navigation capabilities, providing detailed depictions of narrow
streets, alleys, and building outlines — improvements that could be
particularly helpful for autonomous vehicles, delivery services,
and foreign tourists.

When Google’s request was denied in 2016, South Korean officials
cited national security concerns, saying approval would only be
considered if the company agreed to establish a domestic data
center and implement restrictions such as blurring sensitive
locations, including military and government sites.

As of now, Google has not announced any plans to build a data
center in South Korea, despite operating facilities in other Asian
countries like Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and
Malaysia.

The ongoing data restrictions have had a notable impact on the
functionality of Google Maps and Apple Maps in South Korea.
Tourists and foreign residents frequently report difficulties
navigating, as these services offer limited address search features
and lack real-time navigation, particularly in non-Korean
languages.

Instead, most locals rely on domestic mapping services such as
Naver Maps, TMap, and Kakao Maps, which provide 1:5,000 scale map
data and a richer set of localized features. According to recent
data:

Naver Maps (launched in 2002): ~27 million monthly active users
(MAUs)

TMap: ~24 million MAUs

Kakao Maps: ~11 million MAUs

All three services are optimized for domestic use, offering
real-time traffic, public transportation routes, street views, and
even augmented reality (AR) navigation, but often lack multilingual
support — a challenge for non-Korean speakers.

Google declined to comment on the latest delay.

This situation underscores the global tension between digital
innovation and data sovereignty. As governments become increasingly
protective of sensitive geographic and user data, tech giants like
Google face mounting challenges in balancing compliance with local
laws and maintaining global service consistency.

South Korea’s cautious stance reflects concerns over national
security in an era where geospatial intelligence can be weaponized.
It also highlights the country’s ambition to prioritize local tech
ecosystems, which have flourished in part because of these very
restrictions.

South Korea is one of the few advanced economies where Google
Maps is not the dominant navigation platform. This creates a rare
example of a digital space where local players continue to
outcompete global tech giants, thanks to regulatory protections,
localization, and user preference.

Whether Google will eventually meet South Korea’s demands —
potentially by building a data center or agreeing to stricter data
handling rules — remains to be seen. For now, the standoff
continues.