South Korea Clears Way for Google Maps to Fully Operate

South Korea said on Friday that it had approved Google’s request to export detailed geographic data out of the country, reversing a longstanding policy that had made Google Maps largely nonfunctional in the country.

Unlike in most countries, Google Maps in South Korea has not provided users with real-time driving or walking directions or detailed listings for shops, restaurants and other businesses. Instead, most people rely on domestic mapping apps to navigate.

South Korea’s decision, announced by its Transport Ministry, is expected to give Google the foundational data it needs to offer its full mapping features, with conditions. The country has largely restricted the export of map data, citing national security concerns.

Google said its map service was introduced to South Korea in 2008. The company made its first public request for map data in 2016.

Such technological restrictions have been a contentious issue in trade talks between Seoul and Washington.

“We welcome today’s decision and look forward to our ongoing collaboration with local officials to bring a fully functioning Google Maps to Korea,” Cris Turner, a senior executive at Google, said in a statement.

The move could allow South Koreans and international visitors to use Google Maps as a fully functioning navigation tool. It could also weaken the dominance of mapping services run by South Korean conglomerates such as Naver and Kakao.

This is a developing story.