Visited 3 Unmanned Adult Toy Stores Around Seoul
Entry and Payment Easily Possible Without Certification
Local Government: "We Will Conduct On-Site Inspections If Complaints Arise"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] Unmanned adult product stores are classified as harmful establishments for youth, but there are concerns about insufficient management by local governments. Since entry and purchase of items are possible without any adult verification procedures, teenagers could easily access these places.
On the morning of the 6th, I visited an unmanned adult store around Jonggak Station. Despite the sign stating "No entry for those under 19," it was possible to enter the store without any verification process. Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@
On the 10th, after investigating three unmanned adult product stores located in Jongno, Yeonnam-dong, and Sinchon areas of Seoul, it was confirmed that although these stores are classified as harmful establishments for youth, one can enter the store without any adult verification procedures. In some stores, items classified as harmful to youth required ID verification when paying by card, but if purchased via bank transfer, no verification process was required, making it easy to buy.
A 24-hour unmanned adult product store near Jonggak Station on Seoul Subway Line 1. When visiting on the morning of the 6th, a machine for adult verification using credit cards or mobile phones was attached to the right side of the entrance door, but a note saying "It’s open" was stuck on the machine. Despite the sign at the door stating "No entry or employment for those under 19," opening the door revealed that one could easily enter the store without any special devices, much like a regular restaurant or cafe.
Stores handling sex toys that sell, rent, or provide for use sex toys classified as harmful to youth have been designated as establishments prohibiting youth entry and employment by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s notice in 2013. Sex toys classified as harmful to youth include five types: male and female sex toy models, drug-injection type, and textured condoms. If these regulations are violated and youth are allowed entry, penalties under the Youth Protection Act include imprisonment for up to two years or fines up to 20 million KRW, and if harmful items are sold to youth, imprisonment for up to three years or fines up to 30 million KRW may be imposed.
Most of the items inside the unmanned adult product store near Jonggak Station were classified as harmful to youth. There were male and female sex toy models, general condoms available to youth, as well as textured condoms, delay ejaculation condoms, and love gels stored in drawer-like spaces. The unmanned adult product stores in Yeonnam-dong and Sinchon areas were similar. These two locations did not have any verification machines outside the entrance doors, allowing even teenagers to come and go easily.
An unmanned adult goods store near Sinchon. There were several products classified as harmful to youth by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family notice. Card payments required adult verification, but account payments did not go through any special verification process. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@
Once inside, purchasing was relatively easy. When purchasing condoms classified as harmful items by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family by card, the unmanned adult product store near Jonggak Station proceeded directly to the payment screen without any verification procedures. The unmanned adult product stores in Yeonnam-dong and Sinchon required scanning a means of adult verification such as a passport, resident registration card, or driver’s license to proceed to the card payment screen for harmful items. However, after transferring money to the account listed on the right and calling the person in charge to specify the desired item, the purchase was completed quickly without any verification procedures.
However, it appears that local governments have not yet conducted significant crackdowns or regulations. When asked how crackdowns on unmanned adult product stores are being conducted, a Jongno District Office official said, "It is not easy to inspect frequently, so if complaints are confirmed, on-site investigations are conducted and then referred to the police station." A Mapo District Office official also said, "There is no separate crackdown yet. We conduct crackdowns only when complaints are reported because on-site verification is necessary."
Experts pointed out that since new and variant harmful youth environments emerge and policies inevitably follow afterward, and because inspection personnel do not exclusively handle this task, gaps are inevitable. Kim Jikyung, a research fellow at the Korea Youth Policy Institute, stated, "There is a time lag between the central government identifying problems from the youth protection perspective, the designation of harmful establishments, and the local governments and police conducting inspections and crackdowns." Kim added, "While there are regulations such as educational facility sanitation zones around schools, outside those areas, there is no dedicated personnel strictly responsible for inspection duties, so gaps inevitably occur."
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