Google Maps in South Korea: coordinates gone, map data heads abroad

The panel confirmed that coordinates are removed across Google Maps and Google Earth, on web, Android and iOS. Google built a Korea-only control layer, plus a check that blocks an app update if coordinates show up again.

How will Google handle Korean military sites on its maps?

Google will swap in imagery that the Korean government has already security-processed. It reaches Google through a local partner, so details such as a facility's location and size never go to Google directly. A contract was signed on 31 August, and Google must use the images unaltered.

For now, Google blurs military and security sites it identifies itself in overseas satellite imagery. It also applied this to historical Google Earth images and deleted Street View for roads within 50 metres of site boundaries.

Map data will be processed on Korean servers first. A local partner converts it into a Google Maps format, limited to base maps and road network details such as road names, lane counts and speed limits.

What happens if something goes wrong?

The head of Google Korea becomes the designated map officer. A team will take government requests around the clock and pass legal violations to the US response team, with action expected within one business day. In emergencies such as disasters or armed conflict, security zones can be changed or some map features switched off.

Google must also follow Korean spatial information law, so the government can issue corrective orders as it would to a local company. Industry voices want equal rules for Google and fair competition, noting that 99% of Korea's spatial information industry is small businesses. Authorities say they will keep monitoring and can suspend or revoke the export permit for serious breaches.