Google to censor sensitive areas in South Korea amid 'national security concerns'

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Google said on Tuesday that sensitive sites and satellite image services in South Korea will be censored to address the government's "national security concerns."

Google will "take additional security measures, including blurring sensitive facilities on Google Maps and Google Earth," said the tech company on a statement, citing the corporation's vice president for government affairs and public policy, Cris Turner.

Google said that satellite images around the world can be bought by anyone.

"We have already confirmed our commitment with the (South) Korean government to blur satellite images as required," as well as exploring acquiring imagery from approved Korean third parties where appropriate, it added.

The statement comes ahead of a government panel meeting on Friday, which is expected to decide whether to approve Google’s request to export South Korea’s 1:5,000-scale high-precision map data, according to Yonhap News.

Google submitted the request in February to transfer the data to its overseas data centers, but the application has raised concerns over the potential exposure of South Korean military bases and other sensitive facilities.