Police, Ministry of Gender Equality, and Local Governments Jointly Crack Down on Real Doll Experience Rooms Penetrating Daily Life
Some Close Due to Residents' Backlash
Experts Say "Real Dolls Are Empty Vessels of Male Sexual Fantasies"
Real doll. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I'm worried that children might ask what a 'real doll' is.", "I don't understand why they are cracking down when it's not illegal."
Recently, as the police began cracking down on 'real doll' (adult products modeled after the human body) experience rooms, conflicts among citizens have intensified. While some criticize the crackdown on legal businesses as excessive, others argue that real dolls could instill distorted sexual perceptions in adolescents and therefore must be strictly regulated.
The police, together with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and local governments, have launched a crackdown on illegal activities related to real doll experience rooms from the 7th of this month until the 31st of next month, lasting about two months.
Under current law, real doll experience rooms can operate as long as they are not within 200 meters of a school’s educational environment protection zone. However, the police have recently added grounds for enforcement based on the Youth Protection Act, the Information and Communications Network Act, and the Building Act.
Accordingly, if a signboard or advertisement containing the phone number or internet address (URL) of a real doll experience room is displayed in a place accessible to the general public, it will be subject to charges for violating the Youth Protection Act.
Also, if online advertisements for real doll experience rooms do not indicate that they are harmful media for youth or fail to apply functions such as adult verification to restrict youth access, they will be subject to enforcement under the Information and Communications Network Act. Furthermore, under the Building Act, real doll experience rooms are classified as entertainment facilities and must have appropriate equipment and structure accordingly.
The real doll experience room in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi Province, which has recently been controversial, is removing its signboard on the afternoon of the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
However, there are many opinions opposing the police’s measures. Importing and selling real dolls is legal in Korea, and since real doll experience rooms do not involve quasi-prostitution with actual people, some argue that the police crackdown is excessive.
In this regard, the Supreme Court ruled in June 2019 to allow the import of real dolls. The ruling emphasized that state intervention in an individual's private and intimate domain should be minimized, and that banning imports by treating sex devices as obscene items should be approached cautiously.
One netizen said, "It's not like they are sexually assaulting people, so I don't see what the problem is. I don't understand why real dolls have become such a big controversy recently," adding, "They are just dolls. If they say it's legal but still crack down, doesn't that make it illegal?"
Another netizen also said, "Why crack down on something that is legally permissible? That doesn't make sense," and added, "Blocking all tools to satisfy sexual desires only leads to more sex crimes."
Posts related to real dolls have been uploaded on the Blue House National Petition Board. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture.
On the other hand, as real doll experience rooms have appeared in residential and academy areas, support for police crackdowns is growing. They point out that real dolls sexualize women and can instill distorted sexual perceptions in youth.
In this context, in July 2019, a petition titled 'Ban the import of real dolls altogether' was posted and received over 200,000 signatures.
The petitioner defined real dolls as "tools that have the face and body of a woman but do not move and can be used sexually at will," urging, "People who use such tools cannot see real women as human beings. Ban the import and sale of real dolls."
There were also opinions that the unrestricted operation of 'quasi-prostitution businesses' using dolls in general commercial areas frequented by children and adolescents is problematic.
One netizen expressed on a mom caf?, "It's shocking to think that a real doll experience room would open in a building where children come and go. How can that be legal?" and criticized, "If children ask out of curiosity what a 'real doll' is, there’s nothing appropriate to say. I even question why dolls modeled after humans should exist in the first place."
Due to the strong criticism, many businesses have decided to close. A real doll experience room in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, which recently became controversial, decided to close on the 7th due to residents' opposition, and a similar experience room in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, voluntarily shut down in April after facing residents' resistance.
Experts point out that real dolls ultimately embody a desire to dominate women's bodies. Professor Yoon Ji-young of Konkuk University’s Body Culture Research Institute defined real dolls in her paper 'Real Dolls, Eroticism of Domination' as "empty vessels of male desire that, although resembling women, ultimately faithfully embody male sexual fantasies."
She added, "Dolls are objects that are unilaterally adored, cherished, and loved, but at the same time, they can be crushed, damaged, replaced, or discarded whenever displeasing. The status of dolls symbolizes the status of women in a male-centered society," emphasizing this point.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
