South Korea lifts ban on imported sex dolls

The customs service said it would still ban the import of child-like sex dolls or others embodying particular groups of people. Photo / AP

South Korea has formally lifted a ban on the import of full-body sex dolls, ending years of debate over how much the government can interfere in private life.

Although there are no laws or regulations banning the import of sex dolls, hundreds, and perhaps thousands, have been seized by customs, which cited a clause in the law that bans the import of goods that “harm the country’s beautiful traditions and public morals”.

Importers complained and took their case to courts, most of which agreed with them and ordered customs to release the sex dolls, saying they are used in people’s private spaces and don’t undermine human dignity.

On Monday, the Korea Customs Service said it began enforcing a revised guideline for the import of life-size adult sex dolls. It said it reviewed recent court rulings and opinions from relevant government agencies including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

The customs service said it would still ban the import of child-like sex dolls or others embodying certain people. It said countries such as the United States, Australia and the UK also ban child-like sex dolls.

While the decision reflects South Korea’s slow yet gradual moves to restrict state interference in personal lives, some women’s rights and conservative organisations will probably again voice their opposition to the use of sex dolls. They say they deepen the sexual objectification of women and undermine public morals.

Carenshare Co, a South Korean company that imports sex dolls, said it was “deplorable” for the customs service to lift the import ban after allegedly wasting taxpayers’ money for lawsuits with importers. The company said it had suffered immense losses. It said South Korea must reform other regulations that have a negative impact on the economy.

“We thought our people’s rights to seek happiness and use [sex dolls] in their private lives have been restricted by the state,” said Lee Sang-jin, who headed one of the company’s online shopping malls. “There are various types of people who use [sex dolls], including those who are sexually alienated or those who need them for artistic purposes.”

Lee said the decision by the customs was “reasonable” but “a bit late”.

South Korean authorities don’t crack down on the sale of domestically made sex dolls, but their quality is in general inferior to those made abroad, he said.

Lee said his former company had already taken back more than 20 sex dolls from customs officials through lawsuits. He said the company had filed separate lawsuits seeking government compensation because many of the retrieved sex dolls became unusable following about two years of seizures by the customs service.

The customs service’s decision would allow importers to get back their sex dolls held in government storage run by the agency.

Customs officials said they still probably hold more than 1000 sex dolls that had been sent to South Korea since 2018.