South Korea's government said on Friday that Google has removed latitude and longitude coordinates for South Korean territory from Google Maps and Google Earth. The removal is one of the security conditions attached to a permit the government granted in February to export high-precision map data, according to the government.
South Korea had rejected Google's requests in 2007 and 2016, citing the risk that information on sensitive military and security facilities could be exposed. The February approval marked a major reversal of that stance, which Seoul had held for about two decades, according to Reuters.
An inter-agency press release said Google Street View imagery inside and around all military and security facilities on South Korean territory will be deleted. The government said it would suspend or revoke the permit if serious breaches of the conditions occur.
Google must rely on domestic partners for security-processed imagery and load it without modification, the press release said. Yonhap News Agency, citing industry sources, reported that Google has chosen South Korean navigation company TMAP Mobility to process base map data for its local map service. Yonhap said Google is expected to use data that TMAP processes on domestic servers to government security standards from as early as next year.
The cooperation covers static information such as roads, buildings and addresses. It excludes TMAP users' personal data, real-time location and driving routes, according to the report.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.