Land minister nominee cautions against Google request for map data transfer

Land Minister nominee Kim Yun-duk on Tuesday voiced concerns over Google's request to transfer Korea's high-precision map data overseas, citing national security risks. During his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Kim said there may be grounds to consider the request from a trade perspective but stressed that national defense and public safety must take precedence. "There may be reasons to review the request more proactively, but national security and the safety of our citizens come first," Kim said. "We must approach this matter with extreme caution." In February, Google submitted an application to the state-run National Geographic Information Institute seeking permission to export 1:5,000-scale high-precision map data to its data centers abroad. A government decision is expected by Aug. 11. "The 1:5,000-scale map is extremely detailed, and no country has ever exported such high-resolution data. We will take this into account during consultations," the nominee said. Currently, Google operates its Korean mapping services using publicly available, lower-resolution 1:25,000-scaWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times