South Korea lifts ban on import of adult-sized sex dolls in ‘reasonable but late’ move

Customs officials say they will likely still hold on to more than 1,000 sex dolls sent since 2018

Lawmaker Lee Yong-ju, who brought a sex doll, speaks during a parliamentary inspection at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on 18 October 2019 (AP )

South Korea has lifted a ban on the import of full-body sex dolls three years after the country’s top court ruled they were not obscene.

Allowing their import, the Korea Customs Service said on Monday that “customs clearance of full-body real dolls in adult shape is allowed”. 

The agency revised its guidelines following the court ruling and after incorporating opinions from government departments, including the country’s ministry of gender equality and family.

The ban on child-like forms, however, will remain in place. The customs agency said dolls in the “shape of minors are prohibited”.

Other countries like the US, Australia and UK have also banned child-sex dolls, it pointed out.

While there are no laws or regulations banning their import, hundreds of dolls are seized by customs each year on grounds that the goods harm the country’s “beautiful traditions and public morale”.

Since July, the customs agency had allowed sex dolls with particular body parts but not full-body dolls.

The decision to lift the ban also reflects South Korea’s slow yet gradual moves to restrict state interference in people’s personal lives. However, opposition from women’s rights and conservative organisations is expected, reported the Associated Press.

The lifting of the ban was welcomed by importers as well. Lee Sang-jin, a former head of a local company, said that “it’s a reasonable decision though it came [a] bit late”.

“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”.

He added that while South Korean authorities don’t crack down on the sale of domestically made sex dolls, their quality is inferior to imported ones.

Mr Lee also added that his former company already claimed more than 20 sex dolls from custom officials through lawsuits and have filed a separate claim seeking compensation for retrieved dolls deemed unusual following two years of seizures by the customs.

Meanwhile, customs officials said they still likely hold more than 1,000 sex dolls sent to the country since 2018.

Additional reporting by agencies