Google rejects Korean data center, but Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport says ”discussion on setting up domestic servers is necessary”

South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 9th that further discussions are needed regarding Google's application to export high-precision map data overseas.
In response to a press conference held by an individual company, a government agency made an unusual move by providing explanatory materials. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism stated, "Regarding Google's application to export high-precision map data overseas,
"We are currently discussing post-incident security management measures, such as security handling of the image, restrictions on coordinate display, and the installation of a domestic server," he said.
He also mentioned the Google press conference held at 10 a.m. on the same day, saying, "The government's ban on displaying coordinates
"It appears that they have indicated their willingness to accept the conditions, but additional discussions with Google are needed regarding post-security measures such as the installation of domestic servers," the company said.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "Regarding the current application for the export of high-precision map data, relevant government agencies are in close consultation and are considering the possibility of exporting it after comprehensively considering national security and industrial aspects."
At a press conference on the same day, Google claimed that the 1:5000 scale maps it had requested to be removed were not national base maps or high-precision maps.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) clearly stated in its explanatory materials that it was a "high-precision map." Google had requested the transfer of map data in 2011 and 2016, but the government refused to provide it for military bases and other areas.
Google did not allow the government to use its high-precision map data, which includes information on security facilities, on an overseas server, citing concerns about information leaks.
The government requested that the data be exported overseas, but in May it deferred its decision, judging that further discussion was needed regarding the impact on national security and domestic industry.
The request has been postponed again. The government is scheduled to form a consultative body on November 11 to discuss whether to accept Google's request.
The government's position on the export of high-definition maps remains unchanged.
If the company accepts three conditions, namely, blurring, disguising, and low-resolution processing of security facilities, deleting coordinates, and establishing a domestic server that can immediately correct any security facilities that are exposed,
At the press conference on the same day, Google said, "In addition to hiding security facilities in satellite images, we are also removing the coordinate information of Korean territory from Google Maps' domestic and international maps."
"We will accept the South Korean government's request to make it invisible to users," the company said. However, it maintained its previous position regarding the government's request to set up domestic servers.
There have been ongoing allegations that companies are avoiding setting up data centers to avoid the corporate tax that is levied where the centers are located.
Yoo Young-seo, head of Google Korea Communications, said, "Even if we establish a data center in Korea, we will not be able to provide national base maps (high-precision maps)."
"The processing of the map (Figure) needs to be done not only in Korea but also overseas," he said, adding, "Google Maps is a service accessed simultaneously by 2 billion users around the world, and requires a huge amount of computing power.
"We need the processing power to do this. Therefore, we need to process multiple data simultaneously in data centers distributed around the world," he said.
"It simply doesn't have much to do with Google Maps," he said.