Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Top court lifts ban on import of life-size sex dolls
The ruling is expected to reverberate through the adult toys market in Korea. Korea Times file
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The Supreme Court has lifted a ban on the import of life-size sex dolls into Korea.
The court said last week that it recently upheld a lower court decision to allow the import of such dolls, ordering Incheon Main Customs to permit a Korean company to import them.
The ruling, which opens the door to sex doll manufacturers in other countries, is expected to reverberate through the adult toys market here.
In 2017, Customs confiscated a silicone sex doll, which is 159cm tall and weighs 35kg, on legal grounds that ban the import of “morally degrading products.” Later, the company took the issue to the court.
A district court in Seoul ruled in favor of Customs, saying such dolls would “degrade human beings' dignity.”
But the appeals court overturned the decision, saying state intervention must be minimized in such private matters.