[Exclusive] Presidential Residence, Blue House, NIS, and Numerous Military Facilities Exposed on Chinese Maps

Korea's security facilities exposed on China's top map platform
Even the approach road to President Lee's residence is visible
Yeonpyeong Marine Corps, naval bases, and US military bases also revealed

Difficult to resolve due to free op

It has been confirmed that a large number of South Korea's key confidential facilities are being exposed on various map services operated by Chinese companies. These Chinese maps display the Blue House, the Ministry of National Defense, the National Intelligence Service, and even the Hannam-dong official residence where President Lee Jaemyung currently resides. The government attributes this to the use of free open-source data, but the Blue House has acknowledged the issue and is taking action.

Presidential Residence Access Road Clearly Visible on Chinese Maps

Map service screens operated by Chinese companies. From the left, Alibaba's Gaode Map, Dazhong Dianping, and Baidu Map. These screenshots show searches for the Blue House, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of National Defense, with all three locations blurred due to their classification as national security facilities.

According to a review by The Asia Business Daily on May 22, the Chinese map service "Gaode Map" reveals the interior of the Blue House without any filtering. Names of the main building, garden, Yeomin Buildings 1, 2, and 3, and the helipad are provided, and the locations of other buildings can also be identified. Internal roads connecting the buildings are visible, and the 3D function of Gaode Map allows users to grasp the terrain and building shapes within the premises.

Gaode Map is a map service operated by Alibaba Group and is China’s number one map platform, with as many as 100 million users daily. The service launched in South Korea in the first half of last year, and it is reported that 90% of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea use Gaode Map. This means that highly confidential security zones are accessible to an unspecified number of people, exposing a severe security loophole.

Other security facilities besides the Blue House are also being exposed. In the case of the Ministry of National Defense, the headquarters, investigation headquarters, the locations of various buildings, and internal roads are all displayed. The National Intelligence Service, which does not publicly disclose its address, can be found by searching for "Yangjihoe," the name of a retirees' association, revealing building layouts and roads. The Hannam-dong official residence, where President Lee currently lives, also has its access road and buildings displayed.

Military bases are also exposed without any masking. The Nonsan Army Training Center, Jeju Naval Base, air force bases adjacent to civilian airports, and Yeonpyeong Marine Corps units are all viewable internally. Even all areas of U.S. military bases in South Korea, such as Camp Humphreys, which are provided to the United States by South Korea, are known to be exposed.

Other Chinese platforms provide similar services. Baidu Group, which operates China's largest search engine, also allows users to find the Blue House, the presidential residence, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Intelligence Service on "Baidu Map." "Dazhong Dianping," China's largest lifestyle information platform with about 700 million users and now partnered with a South Korean company, also exposes a variety of security zones, including the Blue House.

According to the National Spatial Information Basic Act, the disclosure of spatial information containing national security or military facilities is restricted. If national security facilities appear in aerial or satellite photographs, they must be managed as restricted for public disclosure, and if masking is not applied, the information must be retrieved or dealt with according to relevant laws. Accordingly, domestic map services such as Naver and Kakao mask these areas.

'Open Source' Used by Chinese Companies Makes Response Difficult

Chinese tourists are sightseeing in front of the main gate of the Blue House. November 17, 2016. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The background for how Chinese companies could share South Korean security facilities lies in OpenStreetMap (OSM). OSM is a map service that originated in the UK and allows anyone to freely participate in its creation and modification. This means an unspecified number of individuals can access OSM and add South Korean security facilities. Chinese companies use OSM to create their maps, and according to the government, this process leads to the exposure of security facilities.

However, it is still difficult to determine who obtained and drew the detailed maps of security facilities, and how they did so. In the case of the Blue House, it was opened to the public under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2022, but as there has never been an official disclosure of the National Intelligence Service or other military facilities, ordinary people cannot know the internal maps and building structures. The government also cannot easily determine whether the editors are individuals or groups, their nationality, or from which country they accessed the data.

Discussions with Chinese companies to edit the maps also seem challenging. This is due to differences in perceptions about the scope of map disclosure and security facilities. A senior Blue House official said, "It's a matter of asking Chinese map companies how they are providing their services," adding, "The United States and China have different views on overseas map services."

There are also technical challenges. Masking using OSM is difficult. A South Korean organization attempted to mask security facilities one by one on OSM, but OSM reportedly deleted the account for 'not complying with its principles.' There have been cases where South Korean authorities, through domestic companies partnered with Chinese companies, succeeded in editing the maps, but over time, the security facilities became visible again.

Blue House Takes Action, "Investigating Circumstances"

Citizens lined up to visit the Blue House on May 29 last year.

The Blue House has recognized the situation and begun to respond. Another senior Blue House official said, "When the Blue House was exposed on Google and Apple Maps, we only contacted those two companies," and added, "We will also look into the circumstances regarding the Chinese maps." In January this year, after it became known that the internal layout of the Blue House was exposed on Google and Apple Maps, the Blue House requested security measures from both companies and completed the masking process.

The government believes that security will improve once the revised law goes into effect. A government official said, "We revised the National Spatial Information Basic Act last year, and it will take effect on December 3 this year," adding, "It designates who is responsible for mandatory security processing and empowers the government to issue corrective orders." The official continued, "There is also a new provision that enables punishment if the order is not followed, so once the law is implemented, the situation should improve."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.