SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's Ministry of

Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Tuesday it has

delayed a decision again on Google's request for permission to

export map data, saying it will make a final ruling once the

company submits additional documents.

The ministry said in a statement that its National

Geographic Information Institute would give Google 60 business

days until February 5, 2026 to submit the additional material

before making a decision.

South Korea previously rejected requests from Google, whose

parent is Alphabet, for permission to use map data on

servers outside the country, in 2016 and 2007, citing security

concerns.

"For months, we've been actively engaging with the

Korean government and are committed to working with them to help

all users - both in Korea and globally - benefit from Google

Maps," Google said in a statement sent to Reuters.

In September, Google said it would comply with South

Korea's security-related request to ensure that coordinate

information for areas within the country is not displayed to any

users, either inside or outside South Korea. The company had

earlier agreed to blur images of security facilities.

South Korea's ministry, however, said on Tuesday Google had

not yet filed an updated application reflecting this, arguing

inconsistencies between Google's earlier statements and its

submissions were making the review difficult.

Google is seeking approval to export South Korea's

1:5,000-scale map data, equivalent to 50 metres per centimetre,

which the company says is the same scale used by domestic map

services provided by Kakao Corp and Naver

.

Google currently operates with both 1:5,000 and 1:25,000

scale data in South Korea, and says the latter is insufficient

to support reliable navigation.

The negotiations with Google come amid efforts by South

Korea and the United States to wrap up negotiations on tariff

and security agreements between the allies.