The government has confirmed that it has decided to exclude the provision of 'Korean high-precision map (1:5000 scale) data,' requested by U.S. big tech corporations, from the tariff negotiation cards. Ahead of the '2+2 finance and trade ministers' meeting' between Korea and the U.S., a foreign economic ministerial meeting was held to coordinate negotiation strategies among ministries, during which consultations among related ministries led to this conclusion. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is in charge of providing high-precision map data, emphasized that 'the security uniqueness of a ceasefire country must be prioritized,' and it is reported that the trade negotiation team accepted this opinion.
According to the government on the 23rd, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol presided over a foreign economic ministerial meeting the previous day, attended by Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan, Chief Trade Negotiator Yeo Han-koo, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung, Minister of Science and ICT Bae Gyeong-hun, 1st Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Lee Sang-gyeong, and 1st Vice Minister of the National Intelligence Service Lee Dong-soo.
At the meeting, which was conducted in private, it was reported that various perspectives on cards that could be used at the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiation table were discussed. According to government officials, the provision of high-precision map data requested by Google and others was also addressed as an agenda item.
High-precision map data refers to map data that can represent a distance of 50 meters as 1 cm on the map, allowing for detailed identification down to alleyways. In February, Google submitted a request to the Korean government to allow the export of high-precision map data to overseas data centers. Last month, following Google, Apple also submitted a similar application.
Trade authorities suggested using the provision of high-precision map data as a card in tariff negotiations with the U.S. As the U.S. has cited the non-provision of high-precision map data as one of Korea's non-tariff barriers, the suggestion was to resolve this issue and use it as a card to lower tariff rates on Korea.
However, it has been confirmed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and others stated they would not use the export of high-precision map data as a 'negotiation card.'
A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official explained, 'Korea is the only ceasefire country in the world, and the position of security authorities should play a more important role,' adding, 'If coordinates are exposed, issues such as precise strikes can arise.' This suggests that data exports could pose a serious security threat. The fact that drone attacks utilizing coordinate information have frequently occurred in the Ukraine-Russia war also supports the stance of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to notify Google and Apple of the results of their applications for permission to export high-precision map data on August 11 and September 8, respectively, which are after the scheduled tariff negotiation deadline (August 1), through consultations with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Intelligence Service. The government has previously rejected requests for the export of high-precision maps in 2007 and 2016 (Google) and in 2023 (Apple).