The Director General of the 707th Special Mission Battalion has gained attention by revealing that they used the navigation app ‘T-map’ to understand the structure of the National Assembly during the emergency martial law. T-map, currently the leading service in the domestic navigation market with a 74% market share, has sparked a buzz online following that statement.
Colonel Kim Hyun-tae, the Director General of the 707th Special Mission Battalion, said on the 9th in front of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, “I received orders to enter the National Assembly, but I didn’t know the structure of the building, so I used T-map.”
The director general explained the situation at the time, saying, “After getting off the helicopter, I looked at the size of the building and confirmed the structure using T-map,” and noted, “The unit was believed to be deployed for a North Korean mission but ended up carrying out a martial law mission.”
Industry sources stated that the differences in map information between navigation apps are minimal, as all platforms are based on data provided by the National Geographic Information Institute.
In fact, comparing T-map, Naver Maps, and Kakao Maps revealed that there are no significant differences in the information related to the National Assembly Building. However, Naver Maps offers a road view feature to check the exterior, while T-map and Kakao do not provide internal road views.
The industry has observed that the controversy has intensified due to T-map's position as the market leader. According to Consumer Insight, 74% of domestic smartphone navigation users utilize T-map, while Kakao Maps and Naver Maps account for 12% and 7%, respectively.
The director general explained the situation at the time, saying, “After getting off the helicopter, I looked at the size of the building and confirmed the structure using T-map,” and noted, “The unit was believed to be deployed for a North Korean mission but ended up carrying out a martial law mission.”