SpaceX, the American aerospace company led by Elon Musk, has recently removed the islet of Dokdo from its Starlink satellite internet service map. Previously marked as part of South Korea, Dokdo has now been quietly omitted from the map.
The latest Availability Map on the Starlink website shows Dokdo missing from its previous location southeast of Ulleungdo. In October 2022, Starlink identified South Korea as a “coming soon” location, including major islets such as Jeju Island, Dokdo, Ulleungdo, Baengnyeongdo, Yeonpyeongdo, and Daecheongdo as South Korean territory. Dokdo was visible on the map around January but has since disappeared.
SpaceX aims to establish a global network of 12,000 Starlink satellites by 2027. While Japan already provides satellite internet services, South Korea has faced delays. Starlink initially announced plans to launch domestic services in South Korea in 2023 but has now updated the country’s status to “service date unknown.”
In March, SpaceX established Starlink Korea to facilitate domestic services. The company has applied for registration as a telecommunications provider with South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and is currently undergoing review. The government has requested SpaceX to submit its technical standards for review, but reports indicate that the company has yet to provide this information.
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