Satellite imagery on Google maps will be modified in compliance with Seoul's directive for pixelation

In a significant development, Google has announced that it will comply with South Korea's national security requirements, marking a major shift in the long-standing dispute over access to detailed South Korean maps for Google Maps.

For nearly two decades, foreign visitors in South Korea have faced challenges in navigation due to the dominance of local mapping platforms, such as Naver and Kakao. The dispute between Google and the South Korean government has centred around Google's demand for access to detailed maps for offering full walking and driving directions, a request that Seoul has consistently refused, citing national security concerns.

Google's decision to comply with the demand could impact the navigation experience for foreign visitors in South Korea, as the company will remove latitude and longitude coordinates from its map services to export high-precision map data, as demanded by South Korean authorities.

The South Korean government's demand is one of the factors that has restricted Google Maps in the country. Additionally, South Korean laws require companies to store core geospatial data locally, something Google has long refused to do.

Industry sources have reported that South Korean officials are still in talks with Washington, with the possible export of high-precision maps still on the agenda. The issue of Google Maps access has been raised in South Korea's recent trade talks with the United States.

During these talks, South Korea managed to secure a last-minute tariff reduction from President Donald Trump. The high-precision map data was among the topics that the South Korean trade minister discussed "most extensively" with their US counterpart.

Google has confirmed for the first time that it will abide by Seoul's demand regarding the blurring of sensitive satellite images. This decision could potentially improve its competitive standing with local navigation platforms, such as Naver and Kakao, which have cornered the market for mapping services in South Korea.

Despite the trade talks, Google has stated that there has been "no additional concession on our part" regarding the export of high-precision maps. This suggests that while Google is willing to make some adjustments, it remains committed to its principles regarding data storage and privacy.

The South Korean market for mapping services has been dominated by domestic technology firms, making the potential impact of Google's compliance on the market uncertain. However, the move could provide a more seamless navigation experience for foreign visitors, who have struggled with the dominance of local platforms in the past.

Satellite imagery on Google maps will be modified in compliance with Seoul's directive for pixelation