"Lots of Sexy Real Dolls" Controversy Over 'Sex Experience Rooms' Invading Residential Areas [Han Reporter Goes]

'Real Doll Experience Room' Next to Apartment Complex
A Small Room About One Pyeong, Packed Under Red Lighting
30,000 KRW for 1 Hour, 50,000 KRW for 2 Hours
Concerns Over Distorted Sexual Culture and Extreme Sexual Commercialization

Real Doll Experience Room Promotional Flyer. Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "There are many sexy real dolls.", "They look young and fresh at a glance."

About a 10-minute walk from an apartment complex in Seoul. That is the time it takes to reach a 'Real Doll Experience Room' where you can try out sex toys shaped similarly to the human body called real dolls. This experience room personifies sex toys, which are tools to satisfy sexual desires, as a form of promotion to attract customers.

On the glass entrance door and walls, large bromides with various promotional phrases touted as the latest real dolls were displayed. Upon entering, under red lighting, rooms labeled 1 and 2 were visible, resembling a coin karaoke room. The hourly rate is 30,000 KRW for one hour and 50,000 KRW for two hours. Customers enter a space about one pyeong (approx. 3.3 square meters) to experience the real doll.

◆ Concerns Over Distorted Sexual Culture Reflected... Criticism of Extreme Sexual Commodification

The problem lies in the possibility that such real dolls may project distorted adult perceptions. It is not merely about using sex toys to satisfy desires but the concern that twisted sexual desires may be unleashed in the process. There are criticisms that it damages the dignity of women as human beings and promotes sexual commodification.

Kim (female), a college student in her 20s, said, "I think people will project all sorts of fantasies onto real dolls, not just use them as sex toys," adding, "I am not saying using real dolls is wrong, but if people project their various personal adult perceptions onto them, I worry they might think negatively about real women as well."

Real doll. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As Kim’s concerns suggest, critical views on this issue were already raised in September 2019. Women condemned the court's ruling allowing the import of real dolls and called for a complete ban on their import.

At the time, protesters gathered at Seoul's Cheonggye Plaza raised their voices, saying, "Real dolls are part of a culture of sexual exploitation that consumes women's bodies as means to satisfy men's sexual and dominance desires."

The women further stated, "Considering the history of sexual exploitation in Korean society, real dolls cannot be seen simply as 'dolls'," and "For women who have witnessed countless misogyny incidents, real dolls are merely an extension of deeply rooted sexual objectification of women in Korean society." The protesters also performed a 'mirroring' act, mimicking the sale of real dolls by reflecting others' actions like a mirror.

On the afternoon of September 28, 2019, women participants hold placards at a protest condemning the court ruling allowing the import of real dolls, held at Cheonggye Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. The participants condemned the judiciary for the ruling permitting the import of real dolls (male sex toys modeled after the actual appearance of women) and urged the government to take administrative action and propose legislation regarding this issue. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ 'Real Doll Experience Rooms' in Residential and School Districts Throughout Daily Life

Another issue is that such real doll experience rooms are being established in everyday spaces like residential areas and school districts. There is concern that children and adolescents passing by these places may develop distorted perceptions of sexuality.

However, there are currently no effective measures to regulate this. These experience rooms are classified as free businesses that can open by simply reporting to the tax office without a permit. As a result, even if complaints are filed with educational authorities or the police, enforcement is difficult.

The situation is not much different in school districts. According to the Educational Environment Protection Act, if a business is designated as a place where youth access and employment are prohibited, it cannot operate within 200 meters of a school. Ultimately, if it is about 400 to 500 meters away from a school, it is not illegal. Students passing by these places are thus exposed without protection.

Experts expressed concerns that some men might develop distorted sexual cultures. Professor Yoon Ji-young of Konkuk University's Body Culture Research Institute pointed out in her paper "Real Dolls, Eroticism of Domination" that "Although they resemble women, real dolls are ultimately empty vessels of male desire that faithfully embody male sexual fantasies." She criticized, "There is no consideration of how the instrumentalization of the female body as a tool for men's treatment and sexual satisfaction causes personality violations or psychological and physical harm to women, or how it can be a traumatic factor in some aspects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.