S Korea to finally get fully functioning Google MapsReuters, SEOULSouth Korea would soon no longer be one of the few countries where Google Maps does not work properly, after its security-conscious government reversed a two-decade stance to approve the export of high-precision map data to overseas servers. Those conditions include blurring military and other sensitive security-related facilities, as well as restricting longitude and latitude coordinates for South Korean territory on products such as Google Maps and Google Earth, it said. Google Maps is pictured on a smartphone and on a computer in Seoul yesterday. Photo: AFPThe decision is expected to hurt Naver and Kakao — local Internet giants which dominate the country’s market for digital map services. “We welcome today’s decision and look forward to our ongoing collaboration with local officials to bring a fully functioning Google Maps to Korea,” Google vice president Cris Turner said.

Source: Taipei Times February 27, 2026 18:21 UTC