Gov't may approve Google's request for map data

By Lee Min-hyung

The government will likely approve Google’s request to host the nation’s map data abroad, amid concerns about possible diplomatic friction with the U.S. government, officials said Monday.

A special government committee ― led by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) ― delayed its final decision last Wednesday about whether to approve the plan for another two months, citing the need for more comprehensive reviews of the high profile case.

Expectations were that the committee, established to settle the case, would disallow the plan of the search engine giant, amid fierce opposition from local industry and political circles.

Following the decision, however, some industry insiders raised the possibility of the government accepting the Google request, as Washington also calls for Seoul to grant approval for the issue. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) in April pointed out that the search engine operator is suffering setbacks in operating its business, due to government restrictions on the Google Maps dispute here.

Amid rising concerns over possible diplomatic rows with the U.S. government, industry insiders here said the government can possibly approve of the plan in the end.

“The recent government decision (to delay the case) is very unusual, showing that the Seoul government may have been under mounting pressure from Washington,” said a local industry source, asking for anonymity.

He said the government is expected to announce its approval in November when the committee will make its final decision, with some regulatory strings attached.

“The dispute is turning into a cross-border issue,” he said. “In this regard, Korea is likely to approve of the request in the end, even if the local media and public sentiment is not favorable to Google.”

Another source familiar with the matter said that diplomatic pressure from the U.S. will continue to burden the government for the next two months.

“If the case is only pertains to the local industry, the government may disapprove of the plan, given strong opposition from local firms and civic groups,” said the source. “But the government may be under mounting pressure, as it has to take into a serious account the possible rift in Seoul-Washington relations.”

On Aug. 24, the government decided to postpone its decision, citing its failure to conduct talks with Google. The committee said it may further delay the decision in case the government bodies ― including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning ― fail to narrow their differences over the issue.

At that time, the committee did not reveal details about the closed-door meeting, only making public that national security and the potential side effects on the local industry will be the key theme that will affect its final decision.