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South Korea delays decision on Google's request for map data exports

The South Korean transport ministry reported that the decision was delayed on Friday due to pressure from the United States to resolve what Washington views as a nontariff barrier in recent trade negotiations.

South Korea and the United States have agreed to a trade agreement in late July. However, it is not known if the map issue will come up at the summit.

In 2016 and 2007 South Korea rejected Google's requests, which is owned by Alphabet (Google), for permission to store map data outside of the country. The reason given was security concerns.

In a press release, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that its National Geographic Information Institute decided to delay the decision by 60 days in order to give Google more time to develop measures to address its concerns about security.

Google said that its South Korea mapping data was not a concern for security. The data is publicly available and has been used by several companies after undergoing a security assessment by a government agency.

The company stated that it was in close contact with the South Korean Government about any additional security measures required by the authorities. It is also considering plans to buy blurred images through local partners who have been approved by government.

South Korea's 1950-53 conflict with North Korea ended in a war that did not end with a peace agreement. The country argues, however, that if such data were allowed to leave, it could reveal the location of sensitive sites and military installations.

The U.S. has said that restrictions on data flow across borders have been a barrier to the operation of navigation services via Google Maps and Apple Maps for years, which resulted in U.S. firms losing out in South Korea.

Kim Yong Beom, the presidential advisor, said that South Korea did not make concessions in relation to the map issue or on agriculture despite intensive bilateral discussions and early talks.

Google Maps in Korea is restricted by a lack of data, which causes major inconveniences for foreign tourists.

Last month, Kim Yoon-duk, South Korea's Transport Minister, said that the country should be "very careful" when it comes to granting map access. He added that defence and public security were given priority over trade. Reporting by Hyunjoo Ji and Joyce Lee, Editing by Alex Richardson & David Holmes

(source: Reuters)