The Korea Communications Commission said Friday it has dispatched a group of officials to the headquarters of Apple Inc. and Google Inc. in the U.S. for its ongoing probe over location data storage.

The investigation committee, which consists of six experts from the KCC and the Korea Internet & Security Agency, will overhaul how the two tech giants utilize resources stored in their servers until July 13.

The state-run regulator launched its probe early this year to see whether Apple and Google have gathered data on where a smartphone or tablet user is located without consent, stirring up concerns about possible mistreatment of personal information.

In May, Korean police raided Google’s Seoul office on suspicion of illegal data collection by its mobile advertising unit AdMob. The police concluded in January that the firms’ controversial “Street View” cars had obtained location and other information from 600,000 wireless Internet users in Korea.

The Web portal operator has been hit by a spate of probes in the U.S., Britain, France, Switzerland and Singapore over its protection and use of consumer privacy. Apple has also been questioned by U.S. lawmakers on similar matters.

In responses to inquiries made by the KCC, the two companies defended their use of iPhone location data, saying they were tracking where the phone was rather than the movements of customers.

The Korean investigators plan to visit Microsoft and Facebook to discuss regulatory issues regarding personal information with their executives, the KCC said.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)