Happy Plastic, It’s Fantastic: South Korea Green Lights Sex Doll Imports

While South Korean customs will now permit importing sex dolls, certain models, such as child-like sex dolls, won’t be allowed into the country.

South Korean authorities have announced that they are removing legal hurdles impeding the import of full-body sex dolls.

While such imports were not specifically banned in South Korea before, local customs frequently seized sex dolls being brought into the country under the pretext of a law that prohibits importing goods deemed harmful to “the country’s beautiful traditions and public morality,” as media points out.

Under the new guidelines, South Korea’s customs service is now expected to allow the importing of sex dolls, although some models, such as child-like sex dolls, will be a no-go.
“It’s a reasonable decision though it came bit late,” said Lee Sang-jin, formerly a head of a sex doll-importing company. “We thought our people’s rights to seek happiness and use (sex dolls) in their private lives have been restricted by the state. There are various types of people who use (sex dolls), including those who are sexually alienated or those who need them for artistic purposes.”

The import of sex dolls is also a rather sensitive subject in South Korea, with various women’s rights and conservative organizations opposing it. In 2019, a petition to the South Korean president’s office calling for a ban on life-size sex doll imports accrued over 237,000 signatures.

Those who oppose bringing sex dolls to South Korea argue that such objects are detrimental to public morals and might even contribute to a rise in sex-related crimes.

Image credit: Karolina Grabowska