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.
Over 50,000 back petition to restrict life-size sex doll imports into Korea
Members of the Women's Party stage a protest against the Supreme Court ruling allowing imports of life-size sex dolls into Korea in front of the court in Seoul, April 8. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
More than 50,000 people have signed a National Assembly petition calling for strict curbs on the import and distribution of life-size sex dolls, saying they violate women’s human dignity.
This comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an importer in April, confirming that adult-shaped sex dolls are not obscene materials under the Customs Act and can be legally brought into the country.
As of Sunday, the petition had gathered 53,500 signatures, surpassing the threshold for a formal review. The petition was posted on the Assembly’s site on April 7, three days after the ruling.
The petitioner argued that hyperrealistic dolls pose broader social harms and said imports should be halted, at least until a clear social consensus is reached.
“Real (sex) dolls realistically replicate women’s bodies and treat them as sexual tools. This runs counter to the values of gender equality our society strives for and carries a high risk of encouraging people to see women not as persons, but as possessions or instruments,” the petitioner wrote. “Although the latest verdict was premised on the dolls ‘not being in the form of minors,’ their existence could instill distorted values about sexual objectification in children and teenagers.”
Women’s groups say the court focused too narrowly on obscenity and age, while failing to address broader questions of gender-based violence, sexual ethics and the social impact of industrialized sexual objectification.
On April 8, members of minor liberal Women’s Party held a protest in front of the court to condemn the decision. Park Jin-sook, its interim leader, said that contrary to the ruling, the dolls not only depict women’s genitals in explicit detail, but can even be fitted with a fake “hymen” for as little as 73,000 won ($50). She also raised concern about custom-made dolls modeled after celebrities and other real people.
From 2022 through March, 2,391 such dolls have reportedly cleared customs.
“We strongly call for measures that go beyond deciding on the clearance of individual items, demanding strict restrictions on the overall distribution of sex dolls and the establishment of a legal framework based on broad public consensus,” the petitioner wrote.