Personal Information Protection Commission Vice Chair Choi Young-jin announces a plan to enhance personal information protection for minors in Seoul, July 11. Yonhap

The government will push for a law to ensure the right to be forgotten for underage people so they can ask for the removal of pictures, videos or other information uploaded by parents and friends without their consent, officials said Monday.

Under the envisioned enactment jointly announced by the Personal Information Protection Commission and government ministries, minors will be given the right to have their personal information removed or hidden from the internet.

Under the current personal information protection law, every minor and adult can request the removal of their personal information online, but it only applies to information uploaded by themselves, not by a third person.

Starting next year, the government will run a pilot project to help minors request their online private information be removed before enacting it into law by 2024, the officials said.

Under the envisioned law, the government will also make it necessary to explain terms and conditions in an easier language to people aged under 14 when collecting their personal information.

Starting in 2022, the government will also provide education programs for minors and parents so they can be more alert to the risks of personal information violations, such as "sharenting" involving parents who publicize sensitive content about their children online.

"Being digital natives, minors are more savvy with digital gadgets than any others, but they have a low level of awareness about personal information violations," the commission's vice chair Choi Young-jin said, adding the envisioned plan will help them better exercise their rights with regard to personal information. (Yonhap)