Attention is on whether Google will submit the supplementary documents related to taking high-precision maps out of the country, as requested by the government, by the deadline on the 5th.
The government has asked Google to submit supplementary documents related to the export of high-precision maps by the end of the day. According to the industry, Google is known to have prepared the relevant materials, raising the likelihood that it will file them by the deadline.
If Google submits the supplementary documents, the government plans to convene a consultative body on the overseas transfer of surveying results to discuss whether to allow the export. However, it is expected to take several months to reach a final conclusion even after the consultative body's discussions.
Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a consultative meeting at the National Geographic Information Institute in Nov. last year to discuss the export of high-precision maps and then asked Google to submit supplementary documents. Google also requested to export maps in Feb. last year, but the consultative body deferred a decision twice, in May and Aug. of the same year, extending the processing deadline.
With trade and tariff negotiations underway between Korea and the United States, interest in whether the maps will actually be exported is growing as there is speculation that the U.S. side could raise the issue of exporting high-precision maps as a trade agenda item.
The maps Google requested to export have a scale of 1:5,000, high-precision maps that represent an actual distance of 50 meters as 1 cm on the map. The government received the same request in 2007 and 2016 but rejected it, citing national security.
The government's position is that it should be cautious about exporting high-precision maps overseas that contain information on sensitive and secure facilities, including military bases. Accordingly, it has set conditions such as masking security facilities, banning the exposure of coordinates, and establishing domestic data centers.
Google has expressed its willingness to accept masking security facilities and banning the exposure of coordinates, but it is still reportedly reluctant about the requirement to install domestic data centers.