S. Korea to review petition calling for ban on real-size sex toys

Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae is now required to reveal its official position on a petition calling for the ban of real-size sex toys.

The online petition exceeded 200,000 signatures on Wednesday in less than a month from its filing, becoming eligible for a response.

On July 8, the petition titled “Ban imports and sales of RealDolls” was filed on the presidential office’s website.

The petition was raised in response to the recent decision of the Supreme Court enabling imports of live-size silicon sex dolls made by the US company RealDoll.

“The dolls are sex toys resembling the physical attributes of an adult female,” the petition read. “You can customize the doll from its hairstyle to the location of a mole, and you can even replicate a real person’s face.”

“There are people who edit the picture of a female’s face and share it on the internet,” the petitioner pointed out, adding, “Who will be responsible for the damage to the victim when she finds out a RealDoll (toy) customized with her own face.”

The petition noted the dolls could lead to an increase in sexual crimes. “We have witnessed sex crimes being committed by people who were not satisfied with pornography,” it read. “There is a possibility that people who find the immobile dolls insufficient will commit sex crimes.”

Meanwhile, in 2017, a company had sought to import live-size sex dolls, but the Incheon branch of Korea Customs Service put it on hold, saying they mar public morals.

On June 27, the top court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, saying there was no ground for the government to intervene in an individual’s personal life by banning imports of adult sex products.