“Although [the dolls’ appearance] feels vulgar and promiscuous, it is not enough to seriously undermine and distort the dignity of human beings,” the court said. It added that “state interference in private matters should be minimised to protect the freedom and dignity of individuals”.

In 2017, local media valued the sex toy industry at around US$177 million. It has skyrocketed since, with new shops popping up in key neighbourhoods as South Korea undergoes a change in how it views sex toys.

Red Container, South Korea’s largest chain of sex toy shops, did not open their first store until January 2017. They now have 14 locations around the country. General manager Koo Joong-hoe said their original store may have been “Korea’s first sex toy shop with a bright atmosphere”; last year, Red Container’s owner told Vice their stores now earn upwards of US$60,000 per month.

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Kang Hye-young, who owns Seoul’s Piooda sex toy shop, says it has become much easier to import sex toys in the past three years. “A lot of products weren’t allowed. It was very complicated to import,” she said, adding that toys resembling the human body were especially difficult to get through customs.

Kang believes the changing laws have created not just huge opportunities for the sex toy industry, but also a fresh outlook on it.

The change can be seen all over Seoul, as shops that once hid behind tinted windows on gloomy side streets are now moving into high-traffic shopping areas such as Sinchon and Hongdae, both located near large universities and catering to a younger crowd. Their bright store fronts and younger clientele mark a sharp change in how South Koreans think of sex toys.

“The store was really open and bright, and they were playing good music, so it felt welcoming,” said Noh Soojeong, 29, who visited an adult toy store for the first time this year. Noh said she visited alone out of curiosity, and while she left without buying anything, she felt entering the store was a huge step.

“In the past I wouldn’t have even gone inside. I would have felt like a pervert. In Korea, we hide these things because the culture is conservative.”

Today’s sex shops in Seoul feel a lot like cosmetics stores, with bright lights pointed at the pink silicone products lining their shelves. Open storefronts playing upbeat pop music have helped draw crowds of young people inside, where friendly staff greet customers openly and encourage them to touch products.

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Putting up shops in high-traffic areas popular with younger shoppers may also be helping the trend.

“There’s a good reason why shops are located near certain places like campuses,” said Andrew Kim, professor of Korean studies and social change at Korea University.

“University students tend to be more open than the general public. When it comes to new ideas, the place it happens first is usually near where the young people hang out.”

Kim said that not long ago, the only place to buy sex toys in South Korea was from trucks that would visit some neighbourhoods at night. These trucks would often change their locations to avoid being found by police. “So there was a sense of taboo regarding sex toys,” he said.

Na Hyojin of Monster Warehouse, a two-storey sex toy shop in Hongdae, thinks the sudden boom comes partly from South Koreans travelling abroad – especially to Japan, from where Monster imports most of its toys.

Japan’s adult toy industry is more developed than South Korea’s, and is expected to be worth US$2.6 billion by 2021, according to market researcher Technavio.

This is part of a global growth trend in the industry, which is expected to be valued at more than US$29 billion by 2020.

Na said the customers in sex toy stores are also changing: “Now it’s mostly younger women who come to our shop. Many of them come in alone.”

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But some question whether the change has been entirely positive.

Eunhasun, a sex columnist in Seoul and owner of Drunken Vegan, a vegan restaurant that also sells sex toys, doubts whether companies cashing in on sex toys are helping to improve views of sexuality in South Korea.

“As a starting point, sex toy shops can be helpful,” she said, explaining that some sex toy shops sell shady and offensive products, while others hire female CEOs only in a bid to boost their marketing to women. She also believes they are taking advantage of South Korea’s burgeoning feminism movement to sell more products.

“Just having a sex toy doesn’t equal sexual liberation,” Eunhasun said.

Profits in the sex toy industry may also be outpacing education, according to Kang of Piooda. She said while there is a growing awareness among young people, owning a sex toy store has revealed a gap in sexual awareness among Koreans.

“A lot of women don’t know about their bodies. A lot of men don’t know how to pleasure themselves or their partners. We’re not educating people, but sex toy shops keep growing,” she said.

Kang thinks a balance is needed between public education and the industry’s growth to make real changes in Korea’s views towards sex and sex toys. “They’re missing this big education part. It’s very similar to how Korea grew. We build everything so fast and then the building collapses, and then you learn.”

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She encourages adult toy shops to take a more active role in teaching customers, while calling for schools to step up sexual education.

Team4U, meanwhile, is optimistic about the effects of both social change and the recent court ruling on the industry’s growth.

“Conservative views of the sex toy industry have made it hard for us to advertise and sell [our dolls],” Kim said. He said that if the court ruling stands, it could give them some breathing room, helping their lifelike dolls to reach a wider audience while growing their community.

“Our company wants to nurture the doll industry in Korea. We hope the import and export of dolls opens as soon as possible, so a market with various dolls can develop fairly and transparently.” ■