South Korea has turned down Google's latest request to use government mapping data. The South Korean government cited security issues with North Korea as the reason for denial. The request involved using the mapping data on servers located outside of South Korea.

Google intended to use the mapping data on its global servers for the purpose of providing walking and driving directions in South Korea.

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Taj Meadows, a Google spokesman, said, "We are disappointed by this decision." However, the company remains hopeful about providing its Google Maps services in South Korea.

Google request was considered by a joint committee consisting of various ministries including IT, foreign affairs, trade, defense, unification, and administration ministries. The committee was led by the South Korean transport ministry. Seoul held that giving Google unfettered access to data may reveal sensitive sites to North Korea.

The government had earlier offered to provide the mapping data to Google, provided it blurs the sensitive data about military facilities. Google, however, refused to delete or blur any data.

The search giant said that it takes security concerns very seriously. However, the South Korean government claims that the risks associated with providing the data to Google outweigh the benefits.

Google filed its request with the South Korean government in June this year. The government was expected to decide on the request by August. However, it extended the deadline to November. Google has stated that denial of the mapping data will restrict its map services in the country. This is likely to cause inconvenience to tourists, especially during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018.