Why doesn’t Google Maps work in South Korea?

Unlike China, where Google services, including Google Maps, are restricted, South Korea has not banned Google products. Samsung, the world’s largest Android vendor and South Korea’s largest company by market capitalization, is a close partner of Google, and Google apps and services come preloaded on its Android phones, including Google Maps. However, like in China, Google Maps does not offer the full Google Maps experience in South Korea, meaning locals and travelers must install competing services on their devices to get around. Google Maps’ limited functionality is due to a nearly two-decade-old disagreement between Google and the South Korean government over how a mapping service like Google Maps should work. The two sides reached an agreement in late February 2026, which could eventually bring full Google Maps support to the country, but Google Maps is still limited in South Korea as of this writing.

The Google Maps app includes coverage of South Korea. You can view the map and search for points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, airports, and landmarks. You’ll even get images and reviews, features of Google Maps that can be as important to tourists as navigation assistance. Google Maps is a discovery tool that can help users find local attractions with relative ease and read reviews about them. But Google Maps does not offer full navigation support, to help users navigate from point A to point B. The app offers limited support for public transportation, but driving, walking, and cycling directions are not available in the app. You will need a different navigation app for these South Korea experiences. Speaking of which, even though Google Maps can’t provide driving directions, Google’s Waze navigation app works in South Korea.

Google used Japanese names for places in Google Earth between 2006 and 2008, ignoring requests from the South Korean government to correct them. The company launched Google Maps in 2008 without replacing the Japanese names, which remained a sensitive subject for the country. A few years later, the country created a 1:25,000 scale satellite map, available free of charge to domestic and international users. The country also produced a more detailed map at 1:5,000, which was released in 2016 with a caveat: the government would have to approve the use of the more detailed map for international players like Google. South Korea did not allow Google to use the more detailed map, which the company needed to offer users more advanced features such as turn-by-turn navigation.

The South Korean government rejected Google’s first map export request in 2016, saying the company did not want to blur map data linked to local military bases and other points of interest. This posed a security concern for the country, as South Korea has been at war with North Korea for more than 70 years. The two countries reached an armistice in the 1950s, but not a real peace agreement. Google countered in a blog post in August 2025 that military information available on satellite data can be viewed on competing services’ Google Maps alternatives. Google also said it would work with the South Korean government to hide sensitive locations in the country in Google Maps.

Opposition to Google Maps from local navigation service developers may also have played a role. A CNN report from September 2025 and a Reuters report from February 2026 cited concerns about Google’s impact on competition and concerns about how Google might use Google Maps users’ location data.

In late February 2026, the South Korean government announced that it would allow Google to export the detailed map data it needs to provide services such as driving directions, but only if Google implements specific security requirements. The company would need to process 1:5,000 scale map data on local servers before exporting the maps. The South Korean government would have to approve the data before export. Additionally, Google is expected to blur military bases and other sensitive sites in Street View in Google Maps and Google Earth. Google should remove the country’s longitude and latitude coordinates, and the government could make requests for review.

It’s unclear how long it will take Google to implement the changes and add missing navigation features to Google Maps in South Korea. Several months after the agreement between the two parties, Google Maps still lacks support for driving directions in the region. Although Apple Maps supports turn-by-turn navigation, the iPhone maker also did not have approval for the high-precision 1:5,000 map in the region as of early February 2026. Some Apple Maps features may not be available in the country.

Koreans and international users who need navigation apps in South Korea should use local apps including Naver Maps, KakaoMap, and TMAP. The apps are available for iOS and Android and can offer an alternative to Google Maps or complement Google’s service. Naver Maps offers English navigation assistance, real-time traffic information, public transportation assistance, and Street View functionality. KakaoMap supports various navigation methods, including driving, walking, cycling, and public transportation. TMAP also offers navigation assistance, with the added benefit of processing real-time driving data from more than 20 million users in the country.