South Korea's divide over allowing Google Maps

Google Maps is available in more than 250 countries, so it may surprise some people to learn that a modern tech-obsessed nation like South Korea isn't on that list. Google Maps has long been shunned by the Asian country, and the app has never fully worked there. South Korean officials say this is due to national security concerns over geographic data, which has led the country to push back against efforts to integrate with Google Maps. But many South Koreans and tourists feel the time has come to let Google in.

'Decades-long struggle'

Many South Korean officials are wary of making Google Maps fully accessible in the country. At the "heart of this issue lies a set of map data owned by the South Korean government," which Google says it "needs to create a comprehensive map of the country," said CNN. Google has repeatedly "asked South Korea to export that data," and authorities have repeatedly "refused, citing national security concerns."

This "decades-long struggle began over geopolitical tensions" in 2008, when Google Maps "labeled some Korean locations by their Japanese names," said Soyun Ahn, an assistant professor of communications at Boston College, to CNN. Since then, South Korea has been reluctant to allow Google Maps access to its data, even though "most overseas platforms have no such issue operating, including other Google products like Gmail and YouTube."

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The "opposition to Google's request is fierce," and national security experts also "warn that approving the request could set a precedent for other foreign companies, particularly from China," said The Guardian. The government "must listen to industry concerns," said Kim Seok-jong, the chair of the Korean Association of Spatial Information, Surveying and Mapping, to the outlet.

Many defense experts say providing Google the maps would "hand adversaries a precision targeting aid," said The Diplomat. They often cite Ukraine's 2022 experience: When Google Earth "refreshed satellite tiles, bloggers scraped the imagery and geolocated newly built military facilities, forcing Kyiv to ask Google to blur sensitive areas after the fact."

'Major inconveniences to foreign tourists'

Others say the time has come for Google to gain a seat at the South Korean map table. This may ring especially true for tourists who must find alternative navigation apps.

It's "tiring because you need to download three apps, then juggle three to find a way to where you want to go," Taiwanese traveler Eric Weng said to CNN. And many tourists "often struggle to navigate with Google Maps due to the limited information and languages supported" on the South Korea version of the app, said TechCrunch.

Google claims the "lack of data restricts its Google Maps services in Korea, causing major inconveniences to foreign tourists," said Reuters. The company also pushes back against issues regarding national security, claiming there are "no security concerns about its mapping data on South Korea" and that the data is "publicly available and used by a number of companies."

The South Korean government is "under stronger pressure this time amid escalating trade pressure from the Donald Trump administration," said The Korea Times. U.S. officials have cited the map issue as "one of the major trade barriers with Korea," with South Koreans "taking a cautious approach to trade matters involving the world's largest economy."