[Courtesy of Google]
South Korea put off judgement Wednesday on a controversial request by US Search Engine Google to allow the use of government-supplied digital map data for global services.
A council involving officials from the defense ministry and other government bodies failed to reach an agreement. Instead, it would hold more talks with Google. The date for the council's next meeting was not fixed.
Since its first attempt failed in 2007, Google has tried to gain access to South Korean maps, but hardliners like Defense Minister Han Min-koo has voiced a negative view, insisting sensitive facilities should be blurred out first.
Google provides almost unrestricted map services worldwide but it cannot do so in South Korea because of its security law which bans unauthorized exports of map data and requires Google to have sensitive items blurred.
The US company has also refused to put one of its data servers in South Korea for its mapping service, saying users abroad could see sensitive facilities through mapping services provided by competitors.
The tussle has hampered Google's efforts to roll out better services, including real-time traffic information, 3-D maps and driving directions in South Korea, one of the world's most wired countries.
Kwon Bom-jun, a Google software engineer in charge of map production, told a parliamentary debate this month that South Korea could lose its global competitiveness in lucrative new businesses like Pokemon Go if it drags its feet in allowing the use of maps for global services.
South Kore may see the delayed introduction of innovation using mapping services and fall behind in global competition, he said, citing Pokemon Go as an example. The mobile game has been a global hit but it's not available in South Korea because game developers use Google's mapping service.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
