Thanks to ClickonDetroit for this:
SEOUL – 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 the customs, which cited a clause in the law that bans the import of goods that “harm the country’s beautiful traditions and public morale.”
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 in a statement that it began enforcing a revised guideline for 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 will still ban the import of child-like sex dolls or others embodying certain people. It said other countries like the United States, Australia and the U.K. also ban child-like sex dolls.
Carenshare Co., a South Korean company that imports sex dolls, said in a statement that 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 has 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.”
The customs service’s decision would allow importers to get back their sex dolls held in government storages run by the agency.
Customs officials said they still likely hold more than 1,000 sex dolls that had been sent to South Korea since 2018.
