Latest news with #Korea-US
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Apple joins Google in push to export Korea's high-precision map data
Experts caution that granting US access may open door to similar demands from China under its data-sharing laws The debate over the overseas transfer of South Korea's high-precision map data, a sensitive issue that had been largely dormant since the launch of President Lee Jae Myung's administration, has reignited. The government is moving to develop countermeasures as global tech giants intensify their efforts to gain access to the data. Apple recently sought legal advice from a Korean law firm regarding its application to export 1:5,000 scale map data. The move follows the company's earlier attempt in 2023, which was aimed at enhancing services such as its Find My device tracking feature, Apple Pay's local operations and the in-car navigation system integrated into Apple CarPlay, according to industry sources on Thursday. Apple's previous request was rejected by the Korean government due to national security concerns. Industry watchers believe the US tech giant will quickly reapply should the government approve Google's pending application to export similar map data. The review of Google's request is ongoing. The government, which deferred its decision last month, must deliver a verdict by Aug. 11. As the Lee administration seeks to ease trade tensions with Washington, attention is focused on how it will respond to Google's bid. For now, progress on the matter has stalled. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is required to convene a consultative body involving related ministries -- including those handling trade, security, ICT, industry and foreign affairs -- to deliberate on the issue. Potential candidates for the post of land minister, including Democratic Party lawmakers Maeng Sung-kyu and Moon Jin-seok, both known for their cautious stance on data exports, further signal the possibility of another rejection. The map data dispute remains a key irritant in Korea-US trade relations. The US Trade Representative has consistently cited Korea's restrictions on map data exports as a trade barrier and recently urged Seoul to address this and other non-tariff issues. Meanwhile, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, representing the American ICT sector, has joined the pressure campaign, demanding the export restrictions be lifted. In response, the National Geographic Information Institute, under the Land Ministry, issued a tender earlier this month for an urgent study on export policy for spatial information assets. The study is expected to propose phased export strategies beyond 2027 and address issues such as digital service taxes and the extraterritorial application of domestic laws. 'It is about objectively assessing the national interest. If we find blind spots or weaknesses, we plan to establish countermeasures,' a Land Ministry official said. Scholars and experts continue to urge caution, citing the potential national security risks of exporting high-precision maps capable of revealing sensitive facilities. While local firms such as Naver and Kakao provide maps with blurred, camouflaged or low-resolution images of secure sites, Google has so far agreed only to apply blurring. Apple, in contrast, reportedly indicated its willingness to comply with all government conditions, including camouflage and resolution adjustments, while also operating its servers within Korea. Experts warn that approving the US firms' requests could open the floodgates for applications from companies in China and elsewhere, making it difficult for Korea to deny future requests. There are particular concerns about China's data security law, which could require any exported map data to be shared with the Chinese government. Given the stakes, experts argue that unless security risks can be fully mitigated, the government should deny the export requests. Some suggest a different path: commercializing domestic map data to generate revenue. 'Demands for access to our high-precision map data will only intensify,' said Choi Jin-mu, a geography professor at Kyung Hee University. 'If we can no longer protect it, we should monetize it and reshape the ecosystem.'
Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
South Korea President Lee's envisioned meeting with Trump in Canada won't take place due to Trump's early G7 exit
Calgary (Canada): South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's envisioned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Canada won't take place as the latter abruptly left the Group of Seven (G7) summit earlier than scheduled, Lee's office said. Lee's office had been arranging the first in-person meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, but hopes were dashed as Trump cut short his visit. "As Trump suddenly returned today, it has become difficult to hold the Korea-US summit that was scheduled for tomorrow. It appears to be related to the military conflict between Israel and Iran," National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters in Calgary. "The US side contacted us around the time of the situation to ask for our understanding," he added. The anticipated meeting had drawn attention as it would have marked Lee's first in-person talks with Trump, potentially offering momentum to ongoing working-level trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington. Both sides have agreed to finalise a package deal by July 8, when the US administration's 90-day suspension of the proposed 25 per cent "reciprocal" tariffs expires. The presidential office said it will push for their summit at the earliest possible opportunity, Yonhap news agency reported. One potential opportunity for such a meeting could be the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for June 24-25 in the Netherlands, if both leaders attend. "Lee's participation in the NATO summit is still under review," a senior presidential official told reporters. On Tuesday, Lee is scheduled to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Wi said. Their first face-to-face meeting is expected to set the tone for the bilateral ties under the Lee administration, which has pledged to take a "two-track" approach, separating efforts for forward-looking cooperation from historical disputes rooted in the colonial period. "Relations between South Korea and Japan involve delicate historical issues, as well as the challenge of building cooperation for the present and future," the official said. "I anticipate dialogue focused on strengthening collaboration while carefully managing historical sensitivities."
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee's office says summit with Trump under review, reports 'concrete progress' on Korea-Japan summit
CALGARY, Canada -- President Lee Jae-myung's first summit with US President Donald Trump is still under review, the presidential office said Monday, following reports that Trump may depart Canada earlier than expected. 'I can say that a Korea-US summit had been planned,' an official of the presidential office who declined to be named. 'But the situation is currently under review.' The official declined to elaborate on the cause of the uncertainty, but said the office also learned from the news report. The official also did not immediately confirm whether Lee had been notified of Trump's early departure during his trip to Canada. While the proposed summit with Trump remains unclear, talks for a separate meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are moving forward. 'There has been concrete progress on the Korea-Japan summit,' the official said. During his flight to Canada, Lee told reporters that he would work to "ensure at least that (South Korea) will not be placed in a more disadvantageous situation." Lee is scheduled to attend the expanded session of the G7 and hold bilateral talks with leaders there, but the presidential office has yet to disclose who the leaders would be. Lee is set to depart Canada on Tuesday and return home Wednesday evening.
Korea Herald
12-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
S. Korea to expedite trade negotiations with US: new trade minister
South Korea will expedite the ongoing trade negotiations with the United States with the new government in place, the new trade minister said Thursday, as Seoul has less than a month to make a deal with Washington before the temporary pause of US reciprocal tariffs ends. "As the country now has a new government that has democratic legitimacy and a clear mandate, we will expedite the 'shuttle negotiations' with the US at a trade minister's level," Yeo Han-koo, South Korea's new trade minister, said in his inauguration address. "Through this process, the government will create a new structural framework for mutually beneficial Korea-US cooperation in industry, trade and investment over the next five years." Yeo added he will work to achieve a "pragmatic" and "national interest-oriented" outcome in trade talks with the US with an aim to expand cooperation between the two countries in advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital, boost the global competitiveness of Korean industries and foster new growth engines for the economy. The trade ministry will first establish an all-out response system for trade negotiations with the US, expanding the existing task force on the matter to comprehensively cover trade, industry and energy issues, he explained. "In addition, the chief of the working-level representatives on our side will be elevated from the current director level to the first-class senior level," he noted. "As much as South Korea needs the United States, the United States also needs Korea." South Korea has been engaging in trade negotiations with the US on tariffs, non-tariff measures and other issues, with the two sides having agreed to craft a package deal by July 8 -- when US President Donald Trump's administration's suspension of "reciprocal" tariffs will end. The Trump administration slapped South Korea with 25 percent reciprocal tariffs in early April, raising issues with Seoul's big trade surplus with Washington and non-tariff barriers, such as an import ban on American beef from cattle aged 30 months or older and restrictions on the overseas transfer of the country's high-precision map data. (Yonhap)
The Star
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
South Korea appoints ex-trade chief Yeo Han-koo as new trade minister
SEOUL: South Korea appointed former chief trade envoy Yeo Han-koo (pic) as its top trade negotiator, the president's office said on Tuesday (June 10), as Asia's fourth largest economy prepares for negotiations with Washington to reduce the tariffs. The United States imposed 25% levies on South Korea on April 2, one of the highest tariffs for a US ally, though they have been suspended until early July. Cutting tariffs is a top policy priority for South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung after a leadership vacuum in recent months helped delay talks between Seoul and Washington. The president also appointed statistics agency chief Lee Hyoung-il as first vice finance minister to lead the ministry until a finance minister is formally appointed, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. Sectoral tariffs have hurt South Korea's key industries including cars, aluminium and steel. Yeo was trade chief between August 2021 and early 2022 during left-leaning President Moon Jae-in's administration and was involved in Korea-US talks under the first Trump administration. While serving as commercial attache at the Korean Embassy in Washington, he was involved in amendment negotiations of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and Section 232 steel negotiations in 2017. For the past two years Yeo has been a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. - Reuters
