Complaints target ‘overly sexual’ dolls modeled on married women

A doll sold online under the name "Dongtan Style," referring to a popular Internet meme (Screenshot of an online store based in Korea)

Multiple civil complaints have been filed recently over what many are describing as overly sexualized dolls based on images of young, attractive married women, demanding that the municipal government take measures to remove them from the market.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the city government of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, has received 100 petitions and has conducted a legal review of the case, but concluded that the sale of such dolls does not constitute defamation or insult as stipulated by the Criminal Act.

Variations of the dolls are being sold as "Dongtan Style," stemming from the internet meme of "Dongtan Missy," which refers to a caricaturized image of young and attractive married women who live in the rapidly developed area of Hwaseong known as Dongtan New Town. The meme features images of women wearing tight or revealing outfits and describes them as "missy," a term derived from English.

"Supreme Court rulings state that insults consist of 'contentious expressions that can damage the social reputation of a certain individual or organization, and thus the victim must be specified,' which means (the dolls) do not constitute the crime of insult. Also, there is no specific victim, and sexual harassment does not apply," said Hwaseong city officials in an official response reported by Yonhap.

Officials were quoted as saying they will provide legal and administrative aid to Dongtan residents if they are directly victimized in relation to the sale of the dolls.

Dongtan, encompassing most areas of districts from Dongtan 1-dong to Dongtan 9-dong, had been a rural area but underwent rapid development in the 2000s. The planned urban area is a combination of commercial, residential and industrial areas, with an average resident age of 34.7 -- nearly 10 years younger than the national average of 44.2 as of 2023.

The youthful public image of the district possibly contributed to the Dongtan Missy meme, which has been criticized as sexually objectifying women.