Court sparks debate over sex doll ethics

Recently, the Korean court made a ruling in favor of imports Full body life size sex doll, which once again sparked a heated debate about its possible societal impact.

Importers and proponents argue that sex dolls should be treated like other realistic sex toys on shelves, while opponents argue that these adult female dolls objectify women.

Previously, the Seoul Administrative Court overturned a decision made by Gimpo International Airport Customs in January 2022 to ban the import of live-action doll products. Customs said the dolls would harm public morals, but the court said the sex toys were for personal use, beneficial to sex offenders and would not corrupt morals.

A controversy over sex dolls erupted in South Korea in June 2022, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of another sex doll importer, which sued a government customs agency to block its imports. The Supreme Court said the government should not interfere in people’s private lives, and buying sex dolls was part of that. Customs authorities then allow the specific company that filed the lawsuit to import, but prohibit other companies from importing.
Proponents of court decision argue that the dolls are just ordinary doll“A doll is a doll! It’s just a way of meeting people’s needs,” said a 39-year-old company employee. “Personally, I don’t understand women who oppose love dolls. They think love dolls are derogatory to human dignity.”

Based on this position, supporters have filed a petition on the Blue House website calling on customs authorities to stop banning the import of these adult sex doll, noting that all citizens have the right to privacy and liberty.They wrote: “Like realistic human sex doll It will not cause any harm to others if it is used in people’s private life, but the decision of customs not to allow the import is clearly an unjustifiable violation of personal well-being. . “

However, women’s and feminist groups have expressed concern that some companies offering sex dolls with specific identities or young faces can undermine women’s dignity by promoting the sexual objectification of women. Seo Seung-hee, head of the Korea Cyber ​​Sexual Violence Response Center, said:Shop for lifelike human-sized sex dolls are dangerous because they make users feel like they can buy, sell or control a person’s body. “

“The random copying and use of human figures inevitably numbs people to violence against women.” Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2022, calls for the government to enact sex doll laws and regulations have grown louder. , some lawmakers have proposed bills to punish the production and sale of sex dolls that look like children, but South Korea’s parliament has been unable to discuss it.

Yoon Ji-young, a professor at the Institute of Body and Culture at Konkuk University, pointed out in the paper that “real doll domination pornThe article published in October 2022 pointed out that women and men have different control over their own lives. “Women pay more attention to how their bodies feel, while men pay more attention to the control of their bodies,” Yin Zhiying wrote.