Google Maps has begun blurring satellite imagery of military facilities and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) within South Korea, U.S.-based North Korea-focused media outlet NK News reported on September 9 local time.

According to the report, high-resolution images of dozens of military facilities and more than 400 square kilometers of domestic territory previously viewable on Google Maps and Google Earth have been replaced with low-resolution images that are essentially pixelated.

Images of key security facilities, including areas in the DMZ south of the Military Demarcation Line, major South Korea-U.S. joint military bases, and the surroundings of the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, have been effectively obscured in this manner.

It was also confirmed that Google Maps has suspended coordinate display functions for the entirety of South Korea and parts of North Korea within approximately 35 kilometers north of the DMZ.

However, coordinate checking remains available on Google Earth.

This measure follows Google's acceptance of conditions set by the South Korean government in order to export high-resolution mapping data overseas.

Domestic law dictates that domestic mapping services must obscure satellite imagery of military and security facilities.

Google had previously refused to comply with domestic regulations on the grounds that it used overseas servers and thus fell outside South Korea's jurisdiction, but it ultimately changed its stance to secure data necessary for improving its mapping services within the country.

In September of last year, Google announced its policy to comply with security regulations in order to significantly improve domestic mapping services, including navigation features, to compete with South Korean firms such as Naver and Kakao.

In response, the South Korean government decided on a conditional approval in February of this year, and Google reportedly began implementing the map changes starting last month.

With this measure, it is expected to become considerably more difficult for North Korea to acquire high-resolution images of sensitive facilities in South Korea.

However, concerns have also been raised that Google's changes could backfire by effectively pointing out to North Korea which regions South Korea considers most sensitive and has chosen to conceal.

North Korea could potentially check detailed views of these locations using data from other satellite imagery providers that do not obscure the areas, or through its own future satellites.

(Photo: Google Maps screen capture, Yonhap News)