알파경제 - South Korean Government Postpones Decision on Google’s Request to Export High-Precision National Map Data

Photo = Yonhap news

[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Issued by: National Geographic Information Institute (NGII), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)



The National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) announced today that it will defer the decision on Google's request to export South Korea’s high-precision national base map data (1:5,000 digital topographic maps).



The decision was made during a meeting of the Map Export Review Committee, chaired by the NGII Director General. The committee includes representatives from relevant government bodies such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the National Intelligence Service, and civilian experts.



With this postponement, the review period has been extended by 60 working days, setting the new deadline to August 11, 2025, excluding public holidays.



This move echoes a similar decision in 2016, when the South Korean government extended the review process and ultimately denied the export request after careful inter-agency consultation.



The decision reflects the government's ongoing commitment to thoroughly assessing potential national security, diplomatic, and industrial implications before permitting the export of sensitive geospatial data.

알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)