Google removes South Korean coordinates from maps under Seoul export permit
Seoul says Google has met a security condition of its map data export permit, and Street View images of military sites will also be deleted.
South Korea's government said on Friday that Google has removed latitude and longitude coordinates for South Korean territory from Google Maps and Google Earth, The Straits Times and The Hindu reported.
The removal is one of the security conditions attached to a permit Seoul granted in February that lets Google export map data. The Straits Times, which carried a Reuters report, described the data as high-precision. The Hindu called it high-resolution.
Both outlets cited an inter-agency government press release saying Google Street View imagery inside and around all military and security facilities on South Korean territory will also be deleted. The government said it would suspend or revoke the permit if serious breaches of the conditions occurred.
The Straits Times reported that the February approval reversed a position Seoul had held for about two decades. South Korea turned down Google's requests in 2007 and 2016, citing the risk that information on sensitive military and security facilities could be exposed.
According to the press release, as reported by The Straits Times, the California-based company must rely on domestic partners for security-processed imagery and must load that imagery without modification.
Yonhap News Agency, citing industry sources, reported that Google has chosen South Korean navigation company TMAP Mobility to process base map data for its local map service. Yonhap said Google is expected to start using data that TMAP processes on domestic servers to government security standards as early as next year.
The cooperation is limited to static information such as roads, buildings and addresses. It excludes TMAP users' personal data, real-time location and driving routes, The Straits Times reported.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to The Straits Times.
Sources: The Straits Times, South Korea says Google has removed Korean coordinates from maps under export permit; The Hindu, South Korea says Google has removed Korean coordinates from maps under export permit.
