The Rise of South Korea’s Sex Shop Industry

For years, sex shops in South Korea were places most people were too embarrassed to walk into, but now thanks to looser regulation and changing attitudes toward sex, they're becoming more mainstream—moving from back alleys to busy street corners, and welcoming a growing number of customers.

To find out more about the rise of sex shops in South Korea, VICE met up with a few store owners in Seoul whose businesses are at the forefront of the burgeoning industry. They told us why Koreans are becoming more comfortable with the idea of shopping for sex toys, and how—even as the number of adult stores grows—there’s still work to be done to make sex less of a taboo in the country.

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