South Korea's U-turn: Google Maps Gets Green Light

South Korea has granted Google permission to export its high-precision map data, marking a policy shift after two decades of resistance. This decision allows the U.S. tech behemoth to challenge local players that have dominated the mapping market.

However, the approval comes with conditions: blurring sensitive security sites and restricting certain geographical coordinates. Google is required to handle map data on local servers and can only export information linked to pre-approved navigation services.

This landmark decision reflects U.S. demands for South Korea to treat American tech companies equitably and could see shifts in digital map services previously led by Naver and Kakao due to Google's re-entry.