Maps!
Maps! You’re going to need one if you plan to go on exploring Korea by Bike.
First, we’ll give a breakdown of the most useful web maps in Korea. (Kakao vs. Naver vs. Google.) Then we’ll give you some tips and best practices.
Finally, find a handful of maps listing Korea’s Certification Centers (red stamp booths) and bike paths.
Southward ho!
Korean Web Map Services
What’s the world’s default web mapping service? Google Maps. From Sicily to Buenos Aires, their satellites and street view cameras have scanned almost every road, avenue, and boulevard in the world.
Almost? Which countries haven’t been photographed by Google? Iran? North Korea?
South Korea. The Spatial Data Industry Promotion Act, first enacted after the Korean War, bars the export of mapping information. This stops Google from collecting and storing map data on overseas servers.
Why?
First, war! South Korea’s battle with their northern neighbor never stopped. So the government would rather not disclose its sensitive sites — military, nuclear, industrial — to a foreign corporation.
And South Korea likes to protect its domestic brands. They place tariffs on international conglomerates and give local conglomerates greater access to government resources.
That means, if you want the most up-to-date, accurate mapping data, use one or both of South Korea’s domestic web maps.
Reader-Contributed Komoot Map
One of Korea by Bike’s readers, Jocke, has created a Komoot collection of the official certification cycling routes in Korea, converted from Korea by Bike’s Google Maps KML. This collection is a useful resource for those planning their cycling routes across South Korea. Feel free to check it out and share it with others who might find it useful.
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Korean Bicycle Maps
Official Certification System Map
Click here to download a PDF copy.
Certification Centers on Google Maps
Certification Centers on Kakao Maps
