South Korea Lifts Ban on Adult Fantasy Dolls

South Korea has formally lifted a ban on the import of full-body adult fantasy dolls, putting an end to years of debate about how much the government can meddle in people’s private lives.

Despite the fact that there are no laws or regulations prohibiting the import of adult fantasy dolls, hundreds, if not thousands, have been seized by customs, citing a clause in the law that prohibits the import of goods that “harm the country’s beautiful traditions and public moral.”

Importers filed a complaint and took their case to court, where the majority of judges agreed with them and ordered customs to release the sex dolls, claiming that they are used in people’s private spaces and do not violate human dignity.

The Korea Customs Service announced on Monday that it has begun enforcing a revised guideline for the import of life-size adult sex dolls. It stated that it had reviewed recent court decisions as well as opinions from relevant government agencies such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

The customs service stated that it will continue to prohibit the import of child-like sex dolls and other items resembling specific people. Other countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, are said to prohibit child-like sex dolls.

While the decision reflects South Korea’s slow but steady progress toward limiting state interference in personal lives, some women’s rights and conservative organizations are likely to express their opposition to the use of sex dolls once more. They claim that they contribute to women’s sexual objectification and undermine public moral.

Adult Fantasy Dolls a Person Right

Carenshare Co., a South Korean adult fantasy doll importer, said in a statement that the customs service lifting the import ban was “deplorable” after allegedly wasting taxpayers’ money on lawsuits with importers. According to the company, it has suffered enormous losses. It stated that South Korea must reform other regulations that harm the economy.

“We thought the state had restricted our people’s rights to seek happiness and use (sex dolls) in their private lives,” said Lee Sang-jin, the head of one of the company’s online shopping malls. “Various types of people use (sex dolls), including those who are sexually alienated or who require them for artistic purposes.”

Customs’ decision, according to Lee, was “reasonable” but “a little late.”

South Korean authorities do not prohibit the sale of domestically produced sex dolls, but their quality is generally inferior to that produced abroad, according to Lee.

Lee claims that his former company has already recovered more than 20 adult fantasy dolls from customs officials through legal action. He stated that the company has filed separate lawsuits seeking government compensation because many of the retrieved sex dolls became unusable after being seized by the customs service for about two years.

The decision by the customs service would allow importers to retrieve sex dolls held in government storage facilities managed by the agency.

Customs officials said they are likely still holding more than 1,000 adult fantasy dolls sent to South Korea since 2018.