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Debate is heating up about Google’s request to the South Korean government to allow it to take South Korean map data outside the country. In some corners of the industry, charges are being made that Google is waging a “war of the maps” with South Korea while hiding behind the US government.

Map data refers to the information that goes into a map, including addresses and the names of places and buildings. South Korea prohibits detailed map data from being taken overseas for reasons of national security. In line with government directions, South Korean businesses have to hide the locations and names of the Blue House and major military facilities in the map and navigation services that they provide.

Considering that satellite images of the Blue House and major military facilities are available online, questions have been raised about whether it really makes sense to ban map data from being exported for national security reasons, but the government directions have not changed.

On June 2, Google became the first foreign company to request the export of map data, with the goal of accommodating foreign tourists and promoting the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

“Since in the cloud method data is stored in data centers around the world, our service requires that data be taken overseas. The ban on exporting map data prevents us from providing our direction service in South Korea, which creates an inconvenience for people who use Google services when they visit South Korea,” Google said.

But South Korean companies in the industry contend that Google’s attempts to legalize map data exports are connected with its preparations for the self-driving car service that it plans to put on the market around 2020. Self-driving cars are vehicles that are steered by software and sensors without being controlled by a driver.

According to multiple experts, technology permits a company operating self-driving cars to design its service to collect real-time information about a vehicle that is being driven by software and sensors and about its passengers.

In other words, such a company could gather and store information about a car’s starting point, waypoints and destination; about who is in the car and what they are doing; and about the places that the car typically goes. This prompts speculation about the emergence of a new “big brother.”

The information collected in this fashion would have a direct bearing not only on the privacy of the vehicle’s users but also on their safety. If someone exploited such information or if it were leaked, unimaginable harm could be the result.

There may also be a need for tough regulations by the South Korean government. But based on the attitude that Google has taken thus far, the company is very likely to reject such regulations on the grounds that it has no office in South Korea or that the regulations conflict with company standards. In such a case, there would no doubt be uproar about reverse discrimination against South Korean companies that have to follow the government’s regulations.

If such analysis is correct, what the South Korean government ought to do is not allow map data to be taken out of the country but rather to find ways of forcing Google to comply with national laws. This is also necessary in order to implement the so-called “Google tax.”

Before deciding how to handle Google’s request, the government needs to hold debates and listen to a wide range of opinions about the expected side effects, incidental benefits and countermeasures. Chinese companies like Alibaba could make the same request as Google, and we should also pay attention to how Dodko will be listed on Google Maps. Considering that the government need not respond until Aug. 25, there is plenty of time for this.

But the government has instead stirred up rumors by issuing a gag order. On June 22, a closed-door meeting about Google’s request brought together working-level officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Unification Ministry; the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning; the Ministry of Defense; the Ministry of Safety and Public Administration; the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; and the National Intelligence Service.

But the only information available is that the officials involved are keeping their lips shut. Participants in the meeting said that both before it started and after it concluded they were instructed not to reveal any information to the public.

By Kim Jae-seob, staff reporter

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