Arriving

Google Maps in Korea, and the maps that actually work

Korea is one of a very small number of countries where Google Maps does not do the thing everyone assumes it does. It will not walk you to an address. This is the most-complained-about thing foreign visitors report, and the reason is not a bug. The rule behind it changed in early 2026, which makes right now the most confusing possible moment to arrive.

Exit 5 of Sinseol-dong Station in Seoul, with the exit number displayed above the stairs — Exit 5, Sinseol-dong. The number above the stairs is how Koreans actually give directions, and it is on every map. Photo LERK, CC BY-SA 4.0

What actually happens

You open Google Maps in Seoul, type an address, ask for walking directions, and get nothing. Transit search works. Walking and driving do not.

This is not your phone, your data plan, or a setting. Korea has been one of three places on earth where Google Maps does not do full routing.

The Korea Tourism Organization's own complaint analysis makes the scale clear: of all app complaints filed by foreign visitors in 2024, Google Maps accounted for 30%, and the top reason given was exactly this restriction.

Why, in one paragraph

Korean law requires government approval to export map data more detailed than 1:25,000 scale. Google says it cannot build routing without the 1:5,000 base map on its own global servers. Korea refused in 2007 and again in 2016, citing the security situation with North Korea. Google asked a third time in 2025.

Note what this is not: it is not Google being blocked from Korea, and it is not the map being secret. The 1:5,000 base map is public, free, and used by Naver, Kakao and every Korean navigation app. The argument was about sending a copy abroad.

What changed in February 2026

On 27 February 2026 the government approved the export, conditionally, for the first time.

The conditions are substantial: military and security sites blurred, coordinate display restricted, raw data processed on a Korean partner's servers inside Korea before anything leaves, only transport-network data exported, a resident Korea map officer, and an emergency shutoff the government can invoke. Approval can be withdrawn if the conditions are not met.

Google said it would work out how to implement the services. The rollout was described as staged, not immediate.

This is why you should not treat any guide on this, including this one, as the current state. Between the approval and full rollout, the honest answer is: open the app and try it before you rely on it.

What to install before you fly

Naver Map is what to have. It does walking, driving, transit and indoor detail, it shows crosswalks, stairs and underpasses, and it knows about places that Google simply does not have. Interface available in English, Japanese and Chinese as well as Korean.

Kakao Map is the alternative and is better in some neighbourhoods. Three languages.

Install one of them before you arrive. Downloading a 100MB app on airport wifi with a queue behind you is not the moment.

The catch nobody mentions

Naver and Kakao are not a clean replacement, and pretending otherwise sets you up for a different frustration.

Google Maps supports 42 languages. Naver supports 4. Kakao supports 3. If your language is not English, Japanese or Chinese, you are reading a Korean interface.
Translation is partial. Place names and reviews frequently stay in Korean even with the interface set to English.
Language support was itself the top complaint about Naver Map in the same tourism survey.

So the realistic setup is both: Google Maps for searching and reading in your own language, Naver Map for actually getting there. Visitors work this out on day two. You can work it out now.

Practical notes

Search in Korean if you can paste it. Naver's English search is weaker than its Korean search. Copying the Korean name from a website into the search box finds things that the English name will not.

Addresses are not how people navigate here. Korean addresses are road-based and correct, but locals give directions by station and exit number: "Hongdae Station exit 9, three minutes". Exit numbers are the most useful thing on any Korean map, and every large station has many.

Transit search in Google Maps is genuinely fine. It is the one part that works, and for subway journeys it is often enough on its own.

Do not rely on offline maps. Korea has free public wifi in most stations and cafes, but the useful apps assume a connection. If you are landing without a data plan, that is worth solving at the airport.

Quick answers: maps in Korea

Why doesn't Google Maps give walking directions in Korea?

Korean law requires approval to export detailed map data, and Google says it cannot build routing without the 1:5,000 base map on its global servers. Korea refused in 2007 and 2016, then conditionally approved export on 27 February 2026 with a staged rollout, so walking directions may or may not work on your phone yet.

What map app should I use in Korea?

Naver Map, installed before you fly. It does walking, driving, transit and indoor detail, shows subway exit numbers, and has an English interface. Kakao Map is the alternative. Keep Google Maps for searching in your own language.

Does Naver Map work in English?

The interface does, along with Japanese and Chinese. Place names and reviews often stay in Korean, and Naver's English search is weaker than its Korean search, so paste the Korean name of a place when you can.

Does Google Maps public transport work in Korea?

Yes. Transit search is the one part of Google Maps that works normally in Korea, and for subway journeys it is often enough on its own.

This page is based on Korea Ministry of Land geospatial export decision, 27 February 2026 (Yonhap), Google Korea statement on map data, Korea Tourism Organization complaint analysis, via Financial News, Korea Herald. Checked against the published source on the date below.

LAST VERIFIED 20 SEPTEMBER 2026