Some Real Dolls Sold with Female 'Jilmak' Option
'Jilmak' Labeled as 'Cheonyeomak'... Dolls with Jilmak Priced Higher
Criticism of Some Men Reflecting View That 'Women Must Have Cheonyeomak to Be Pure'
A man is looking at a real doll. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [EPA=Yonhap News archive photo]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "This is not just a simple sex toy," "Isn't this a clear violation of women's human rights?"
Criticism is growing among women as some real doll sellers create and sell real dolls with a 'vaginal membrane' of women. This 'vaginal membrane' can be selected as an option by the purchaser of the real doll. When purchasing a real doll with a vaginal membrane, the price of the product increases.
The companies are marketing this vaginal membrane as a 'hymen.' Among women, while the real dolls themselves are problematic, those with so-called 'hymens' are causing great concern as an extreme form of sexual objectification. Experts criticize real dolls as tools for men's fantasies.
According to the purchase conditions sold by one real doll company, buyers can choose the 'vaginal membrane.' It is labeled as 'hymen,' and selecting this option raises the purchase price. Real dolls with a vaginal membrane thus command higher prices in the market. Some point out that this reflects men's fantasies that women with hymens are pure women.
Among women, criticism such as "disgusting," "unacceptable," and "a clear violation of women's human rights" is pouring out.
A female office worker in her 30s, Ms. Lee, said, "It is the fault of the country that allowed the import of real dolls, viewing them simply as sex toys," adding, "Now the price varies depending on whether the real doll has a vaginal membrane. Who would think this is just a simple sex toy? It is a violation of women's human rights." She raised her voice, saying, "They also explain the vaginal membrane as a hymen. It directly reflects men's fantasies."
Another female office worker in her 30s, Ms. Kim, pointed out, "Real dolls themselves are problematic, but now they are even adding options to sell." She criticized, "I want to ask men who choose real dolls with a vaginal membrane what they think of women in general," adding, "This goes beyond a simple adult product and is evidence that men’s usual thoughts about women are well explained."
A female university student in her 20s, Ms. Lee, expressed anger, saying, "In the end, they are charging money to reproduce even the vaginal membrane of women." She raised her voice, saying, "This situation is proof that real dolls are not sex toys but tools that fill men's distorted views of women," and called for urgent measures to regulate the sale of real dolls.
Real dolls sold on the market. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
◆ How does the court view the controversial real dolls as "a private and intimate area of an individual"?
Initially, real dolls were not allowed to be imported into Korea. However, one company filed a lawsuit, and after the first and second trials, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that there was no problem.
On September 27 last year, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Kim Sang-hwan) upheld the lower court ruling that ruled in favor of Company A in a lawsuit against Incheon Customs seeking cancellation of the suspension of real doll import clearance.
Company A imported real dolls from a Japanese company and filed an import declaration with Incheon Customs in May 2017. However, in July of the same year, Customs suspended the import clearance, stating that real dolls fall under "items that harm public morals."
Company A filed a lawsuit seeking import approval, which was accepted. The first trial court sided with Customs, but the second trial court overturned the decision, and the Supreme Court confirmed it.
The first trial court stated, "It is reasonable to view that the real doll explicitly expresses or depicts certain sexual parts of a person in a way that seriously damages or distorts human dignity and value."
However, the second trial court reversed this. The second trial court acknowledged that "overall, the appearance gives a rather vulgar and licentious impression," but ruled in favor of Company A, stating, "It cannot be seen as explicitly expressing or depicting sexual parts or acts in a way that seriously damages or distorts human dignity and value."
It further stated, "Sex toys are merely tools secretly used to satisfy the user's sexual desires, and Korean law does not generally regulate sex toys," adding, "Furthermore, this is based on the recognition that state intervention in an individual's private and intimate area should be minimized."
A petition to ban the import and sale of real dolls posted on the Blue House National Petition Board received over 260,000 signatures and has been closed. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board
◆ "Ban the import and sale of real dolls" - Blue House National Petition
Following this, a petition titled "Please ban the import and sale of real dolls" was posted on the Blue House National Petition board.
The petitioner pointed out, "The Supreme Court allowed the import of real dolls as long as they do not seriously damage or distort human dignity," adding, "They say real dolls do not violate human dignity, but it is the dignity of men that is not violated."
They continued, "If the real doll resembled a man, would it still be said that it does not violate human dignity?" and asked, "Can people who use tools that have women's faces and bodies but do not move and can be used sexually at will see actual women as the same human beings?" They urged, "Ban the import and sale of real dolls."
After the court ruling, real dolls caused various problems during sales. In the past, Company A, which was listed on a large online shopping mall, sold real dolls about 120cm tall but stopped sales after complaints that the dolls resembled elementary school students.
Meanwhile, some real doll companies promoted the possibility of producing a kind of 'customized real doll' resembling the purchaser's acquaintance, drawing collective criticism from women. Women strongly opposed, saying, "Even if I do not give permission, if someone obtains my photos or videos and orders a custom-made real doll from the company, a doll with a body similar to mine will be produced and used as someone's sexual object."
On the afternoon of September 28 last year, participants shouted slogans at the 'Protest Against the Ruling Allowing Real Doll Imports' held at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, experts pointed out that real dolls ultimately represent the image of women prevailing in a male-centered society. Professor Yoon Ji-young of Konkuk University's Body Culture Research Institute defined real dolls in her paper "Real Dolls, Eroticism of Domination" as "a vessel of male desire that, although resembling women, ultimately faithfully embodies men's sexual fantasies."
She added, "Dolls are objects that are unilaterally adored, cherished, and loved, but at the same time, they can be crushed or damaged whenever disliked, replaced, or discarded, symbolizing the status of women in a male-centered society."
She also criticized, "The fact that female bodies are shaped as instrumental objects for men's therapy and sexual desire relief is not considered at all in terms of what kind of personality infringement or psychological and physical harm it causes women, or how it can be a traumatic factor in some aspects."
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