Google will finally offer real-time driving and walking directions in South Korea after securing permission from the nation's Transport Ministry to export geographic data, as reported by *The New York Times*. This approval allows Google to provide GPS services and detailed business listings, ending a long-standing restriction that prevented it from offering mapping services since its arrival in the country in 2007.

Google applied twice previously, in 2007 and 2016, but faced barriers due to South Korea's strict export controls on high-precision map data, citing national security concerns stemming from the ongoing technical state of war with North Korea. The ministry's conditions include restrictions on displaying sensitive military sites and precise coordinates.