"There is a female corpse in the forest"... Approaching to report, it was a 'Real Doll'

Frequent Cases of Unauthorized Real Doll Dumping
Disposal Difficult Due to Size Similarity to Real People

As Chuseok approaches and many people head to the provinces for grave clearing, a story surfaced about someone being shocked after seeing an object resembling a corpse near a forest. On the 13th, an online community FM Korea posted a thread titled "Thought I saw a corpse while clearing graves... chills." The author, Mr. A, stated, "On the afternoon of the 7th, while heading from Seoul to the provinces for grave clearing, I was so sleepy that I parked my car in the shade of an overpass near Buan IC in Jeollabuk-do and took a nap."

He explained, "It was a somewhat secluded spot, and after sleeping for about 30 minutes, I opened my eyes and saw a box about the height of a person on a nearby drainage ditch," adding, "Curious about what it was, I tried to approach it, but I was startled by the faintly visible hair and apricot-colored body." He continued, "At first, I thought it was a corpse. I was too scared to get closer. From a distance, it looked like the neck had been cut off, which gave me even more chills."

Ahead of Chuseok, as many people are going to the provinces to perform grave clearing, a story has surfaced about someone being shocked after seeing an object resembling a corpse near a forest.
[Photo by online community 'FM Korea']

He went on, "I thought I should report it to the police, so I mustered the courage to get closer to confirm it," and said, "It turned out to be a real doll (adult product). The head was detached from the female torso, and the clothes were half removed, so even knowing it wasn’t a person gave me chills."

He added, "I wonder why it was there. Who would scare people by dumping this kind of thing there? Since it’s made of silicone, it probably won’t decompose naturally," and said, "I’m curious whether someone did something strange there, or if it floated down the drainage ditch and someone picked it up, and why the torso and ankles were separated. If no one had cleaned it up, it would probably still be there."

Netizens who saw the post reacted with comments such as, "I would faint if I saw that at night," "I once almost fell backward after seeing a hair salon mannequin in a dump, but this would have made me somersault," "I think real doll buyers should be required to label them. Even when discarding, they should be cremated or something to avoid problems," "How could anyone not be startled seeing those feet," and "They should do a DNA test and charge fines and inspection fees for illegal dumping."

Frequent Cases of Illegal Real Doll Dumping... Need for Related Legislation

As in previous cases, illegal dumping of real dolls happens frequently. Since real dolls are difficult to dispose of, people often dump them in remote areas, causing various problems, which has led to increasing calls for related legislation.

In May 2022, a man discovered what appeared to be a female corpse at a reservoir in Gwangju City, Gyeonggi-do, but it was revealed to be a real doll. Issues with illegal disposal of real dolls have occurred before. In March 2021, a report of a floating bag in the Han River led firefighters to retrieve the bag, which contained a real doll. The fire station collected and disposed of it.

Cases of illegal dumping of real dolls occur frequently, as in previous instances. Around May 2022, a man discovered a body presumed to be female at a reservoir in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, but it was later revealed to be a "real doll."
[Photo by Online Community]

Real dolls are large items made to resemble actual humans, making disposal difficult. When disposing of a real doll, the silicone skin must be cut off and discarded as general waste, while the internal metal frame should be classified and discarded as scrap metal. On the other hand, some argue that because real dolls resemble humans in size and appearance, more consideration is needed compared to other disposables. One netizen pointed out that in Japan, some people believe dog robots have souls and hold funerals or enshrine them at shrines, saying, "(Real dolls) are rationally just objects, but emotionally they are regarded as living beings, which raises issues of the dignity of life."

Meanwhile, questions about how to dispose of real dolls continue to be posted on online communities. One netizen who purchased a full-body real doll and disposed of it personally said, "Unscrewing the real doll to dismantle the skeleton, cutting the skin and hair with knives and scissors, and then disposing of it in a designated waste bag was very cumbersome and horrifying." For real dolls, regular cleaning, drying, and powder application after use are necessary to prevent bacterial growth. Some people report feeling shocked during disposal, as if they were killing a person. In foreign countries, specialized real doll disposal companies have even emerged. Some netizens who own several real dolls recommend paying the manufacturer for entrusted disposal as the safest method.