Lawmaker Lee Yong-ju speaks during a parliamentary inspection at the National Assembly in Seoul
(Picture: AP)South Korea has lifted a ban on imports of sex dolls, ending years of debate over how much the government can interfere in private life.
Customs officials had cited a clause in the law that prohibits bringing in goods that “harm the country’s beautiful traditions and public morals” and confiscated more than a 1,000 dolls since 2018.
But importers won several court cases arguing the dolls were used in people’s private spaces and didn’t undermine human dignity.
On Monday, the Korea Customs Service backed down on the ban after reviewing the court rulings.
Lee Sang-jin, a former head of a local company that imports sex dolls, welcomed the customs service’s decision.
“It’s a reasonable decision though it came bit late,” Lee said.
He added that prior to this, “our people’s rights to seek happiness and use [sex dolls] in their private lives” had been restricted by the state.
Customs officials said they are holding more than 1,000 confiscated sex dolls, sent to South Korea since 2018.
While South Korea does produce its own sex dolls, those manufactured abroad are seen as being of higher quality and more desirable.
Companies that import sex dolls have in the past taken the customs service to court to demand the return of their goods.
But if the dolls were kept locked up in warehouses for too long, their silicone would degrade and they became unusable, Mr Lee said.
The decision goes one step further from a decree issued by the customs service in July, when it said it would allow sex toys that depict particular body parts but not full-body dolls.
In May 2020, a South Korean football club was left embarrassed after placing sex dolls in the stands to replace the crowds that were absent due to the Covid pandemic.
