Jeju Love Land : A Demonstration of South Korea’s Open-Mindedness to All Things Erotic

In South Korea’s Jeju Island is a sprawling exposition park called Jeju Love Land, which showcases only errotic art by way of phalluses, labias and sexual positions. Although promoted as a honeymoon spot for newly weds, the park has been attracting visitors that arrive in droves, all curious to see not only errotic sculptures but also hands-on exhibits of sex-oriented interactive devices.

Actually, the errotic art adventure at Jeju Island can be experienced even just by putting one’s hand on a restroom handle. The opposite symbols apply though, because the door of the women’s restroom can be pulled open by grasping a penis-shaped handle, while the menfolk have to push open the restroom door by grabbing at least one of the pair of breasts attached to it.

Scattered throughout the park are penis-shaped symbols that serve as arrows pointing to certain art exhibits and to function buildings. One building houses an indoor art exhibit, a viewing room for sex education films, and a souvenir shop. At the shop, visitors can choose from a wide selection of erotic art curious, as well as real adult toys and products that couples might be interested to use in firing up their sex life.

Jeju Love Land park was built in 2002, to which more than 20 artists who graduated from South Korea’s leading art school Hongik University contributed about 140 sculptures, all displayed across the spacious, 36,667 sq.m. area. Jeju Love Land is an outdoor arena which the park promoters describe as

’A place where love oriented art and eroticism meet.”

Sex is No Longer Taboo in Modern Day South Korea

The Jeju Love Land is one manifestation that sex as a theme or subject matter is no longer taboo.

In fact one of the many trade liberalizations introduced in 2017 by the South Korean government is the importation and trade of adult toys. Since then, operators of adult supplies stores have been given permission to come out in the open by bringing their businesses in commercial areas.

Although one would think that these shops would mainly target Korean men, store operators claim that more women customers, in their early 20s or lates 70s, come to visit — usually wanting to see actual examples of the adult toys being sold by online stores.

The most popular adult toys are of course the vibrators, which South Koreans prefer to call 우머나이저 ( Woomenizer or womanizer). The vibrators come in different forms, colors, sizes and materials, as well as specific designs for male or female sexual pleasure.

The high demand for vibrators in South Korea is in fact backed by a scientific research conducted by the Korean Research Institute of Sexuality (KRIS). According to the report 70% of the female high school students they surveyed, look to masturbation as a natural human activity. In contrast, only 49.9% of male high school students admitted that they masturbate.

The report also said that Korean parents who have a positive attitude toward their own masturbation, tend to positively influence acceptance of their children’s masturbation.

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