The government of South Korea has relaxed its prohibition on the import of adult-sized sex dolls.
After years of discussion on whether the government was meddling in people’s private lives, a decision has been made.
The updated regulations permit adult-shaped dolls to pass through customs, but child-like dolls that resemble children are still not allowed, according to the Korea Customs Service.
In South Korea, sex dolls are not prohibited. However, since 2018, customs has seized thousands of them.
A legislation that forbids the import of goods that are thought to be offensive to South Korean customs and morality was used to prevent the import of life-size sex dolls.
Initially, importers filed lawsuits in an effort to have the prohibition lifted and have the dolls released from customs. They claimed the goods didn’t violate people’s right to dignity.
A ruling that sex dolls are used for personal use and belong in the same category as pornography, which is strictly restricted but lawful, was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2019.
However, a petition to prevent the entry of these dolls into South Korea received close to a quarter of a million signatures. The petition’s anonymous author claimed that the dolls would cause a rise in sex crimes.
When customs officials decided to lift the ban, the issue was resolved. In a statement, they claimed that the choice had been reached following consideration of current legal judgments and recommendations from pertinent government organizations, such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
The ruling also permits importers to get their goods back from government storage. More than 1,000 sex dolls that have come into South Korea over the past four years are still probably in their possession, according to customs officials.
Customs officials, however, declared that they would outlaw the selling of sex dolls that resemble actual persons, such famous people.
