"Approval to Be Suspended or Revoked If Google Fails to Meet Conditions"
On February 27, the government announced that, regarding the conditional approval for overseas transfer of high-precision maps requested by Google, "Google will be required to have a dedicated map officer stationed in Korea, and we will respond effectively to security incidents through a real-time communication channel with the government."
The Ministry of Science and ICT stated in a report released on the same day, "Before any map data is transferred overseas, we will establish a 'Security Incident Prevention and Response Framework' in consultation with the government to ensure response, management, and handling of security incidents. In the event of imminent danger or specific threats related to national security, we will implement technical measures (Red Button) to enable urgent response."
The Ministry further emphasized, "The actual data will be transferred only after government verification, and in cases of continuous and serious non-compliance with conditions by Google and others, the approval will be suspended or revoked. We will strictly manage the fulfillment of these conditions."
On the same day, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a meeting of the 'Survey Results Overseas Transfer Council' at the National Geographic Information Institute in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss whether to allow the overseas transfer of the 1:5,000 high-precision map. The approval was granted on the condition that requirements such as security processing, restriction of coordinate display, and utilization of domestic servers are met.
The council reviewed the technical alternatives proposed by Google and assessed that existing security vulnerabilities, such as the exposure of military and security facilities and coordinate display issues, have been mitigated. It was determined that by processing sensitive information on domestic servers operated by domestic partner companies subject to Korean law, and only transferring limited information that has passed government review and verification for security, post-transfer management and control can be ensured.
The council also agreed that, along with promoting foreign tourism and the economic and technological ripple effects based on map services, it is necessary to consider the impact on the domestic geospatial information industry and related sectors.
Additionally, the government was advised to jointly establish plans across relevant ministries for 'Fostering and Supporting the Geospatial Information Industry,' including building world-class three-dimensional high-precision geospatial data, supporting Geo AI technology development, nurturing professional talent for the geospatial information industry, and creating public demand.
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