South Korea delays decision on Google's request for mapping data

[August 24, 2016]  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday it will extend a review of a request by Google Inc in June for permission to take government mapping data out of the country for use in servers worldwide, with a decision due by Nov. 23.

Google Maps application is displayed on a smartphone in Seoul, South Korea, in this photo illustration on August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
 

Seoul had previously said it would decide on the request by Wednesday. Google, whose corporate parent is Alphabet Inc, has said it needs to put the data on servers worldwide to fully enable mapping services in South Korea.

Following a meeting of officials on Wednesday, the government said it needs to make a "cautious decision" on the matter after holding further discussions with Google on issues such as security.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

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