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South Korea
This Week in AsiaEconomics

How do you arouse interest in South Korea’s adult industry? Life-size sex dolls, for a start

  • The country’s US$177 million sex toy market is heating up, the latest development being a court ruling overturning a ban on imported sex dolls
  • South Koreans are becoming less conservative as adult shops proliferate, but some say they’re still lacking in education about sexual awareness

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South Korea’s ban on imports of sex dolls from Japan – put in place in 2017 on the grounds that they were morally degrading – has been overturned. Photo: AFP
Josh Doyle
Team4U thought it had cornered South Korea’s sex-doll market. Less than an hour’s drive from Seoul, the country’s only domestic maker of life-size dolls uses moulded silicone to make a wide range of the toys, clad in everything from flight attendant uniforms to traditional Chinese robes. All of them have pale skin, shapely bodies and no mechanical parts – and cost US$3,100.
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“When foreign-made sex dolls were banned from South Korea, there was no regular way to get them,” said Team4U owner Kim Seong-sik. “The industry was full of scammers and smugglers who overcharged people, with dolls often sold for up to five times their original price.”

The company now has a forum on Naver, South Korea’s largest search engine. It’s free to join for those over the age of 19, and is a place where its more than 5,000 members can learn how to care for their dolls, and swap stories or share pictures of them.

Team4U’s Kim declined to offer sales figures, but while the company is doing well, a new court ruling could put an end to its monopoly. Last month, Seoul’s High Court found there were no legal grounds for blocking imports of sex dolls, as their “sexual areas” were not displayed and thus did not affect human dignity.

“Although [the dolls’ appearance] feels vulgar and promiscuous, it is not enough to seriously undermine and distort the dignity of human beings,” the court said. It added that “state interference in private matters should be minimised to protect the freedom and dignity of individuals”.

The decision came after customs officials blocked an import of sex dolls from Japan in 2017 on the grounds that they were morally degrading. Last week’s ruling could still face an appeal, but is expected to be a boon to South Korea’s budding sex toy industry, which has struggled because of difficulties getting overseas products into the country, as well as its conservative stance on matters of sex – though there are some signs that both are loosening up.
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