From Adults to Minors Real Dolls... Will the Supreme Court Approve Importation?

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether 'real dolls' modeled after the bodies of underage females constitute items that harm public morals. Previously, the Supreme Court ruled that importing real dolls modeled after adult female bodies is permissible.

On the 25th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Min Yusook) will hold a hearing on the appeal in the case where Mr. A filed a lawsuit against the Incheon Customs Director to cancel the import clearance suspension order.

In 2019, Mr. A declared the import of a real doll from a Chinese company to Incheon Customs but received an import clearance suspension. The real doll's head is detachable and attachable via screws, with a size excluding the head of approximately 150 cm and a weight of about 17 kg.

The customs office judged that the real doll falls under 'items that harm public morals' according to the Customs Act and issued the import clearance suspension. Article 234, Clause 1 of the Customs Act stipulates that the import of 'items that harm public morals' can be prohibited.

Mr. A filed a lawsuit challenging this decision. Both the first and second trials ended in favor of Mr. A. The first trial stated, "Merely because the overall appearance resembles a human body or the expression is specific and explicit does not seriously damage or distort human dignity and value, nor does it violate normal sexual modesty."

The second trial also upheld the first trial's judgment, stating, "Although the item in question expresses the appearance of an adult woman more precisely than previous products, it does not reach the level of being indistinguishable from an actual person."

Previously, the Supreme Court ruled that importing adult real dolls is permissible. In June 2019, an importer won a lawsuit against Incheon Customs to cancel an import clearance suspension order. Subsequently, lower courts issued rulings with the same intent.

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