The long-time deliberation reflects growing support for Google within some government ministries that are trying to promote tourism and local firms’ overseas businesses. The government extended an August deadline to this month, highlighting disagreements between government ministries. South Korea has been divided over the issue since Google filed its request in June. The question was whether we would allow that regardless.” “Google’s position is that it won’t delete those. “Our position from the start was that if it deletes security facilities, we would allow exporting (the local mapping data),” said Kim Tong-il, an official at the land ministry. The government had proposed granting permission to Google to use local mapping data for Google Maps if the company would blur sensitive information on South Korean military facilities on its satellite map. The restrictions have limited the usefulness of Google Maps within South Korea, since the app cannot offer driving or walking directions. Google handles its maps service at data centers outside South Korea. South Korea, facing the overt threat of rival North Korea, bars exporting local mapping data to foreign companies that do not operate domestic data servers. The South Korean government said the risks outweighed benefits from exporting the country’s mapping data to Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. We’ve always taken security concerns very seriously and will continue to provide useful map services in compliance with Korea’s current map data export regulation,” Taj Meadows, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement. The company wasn’t happy with the decision, which the land ministry said was based on concerns over national security. South Korea rejected a request by Google to use local mapping data in the company’s global maps service in a long-awaited ruling Friday that had divided the country for months.