When Lin Yu-han has a successful date, she uses Twitter to talk about it. Lin is part of a grassroots sexual revolution sweeping South Korea , where a deeply conservative society is beginning to loosen up when it comes to sex, and women are challenging centuries of strict gender roles in relationships. Long held taboos around sex are rapidly melting away, giving rise to more casual relationships and less focus on marriage, while doctors have seen a sharp increase in the number of patients asking for contraceptives.
The year-old has been chronicling her relationships and thoughts on sex for more than two years, originally with the aim of encouraging other young women to be more independent.
Despite the country having some of the fastest internet in the world, the government regularly censors online pornography , placing it on the same level as gambling and North Korean propaganda.
Pleasure Lab , in the fashionable tree-lined Dosan neighbourhood, mainly focuses on women, and its founder, Eura Kwak, a former nurse, holds regular educational seminars. With Kendrick Lamar on the sound system and a clean, minimalist design, the shop tries to shake the seedy image most associate with sex toys. Staff ensure every customer receives a pamphlet with a detailed drawing showing the location of the clitoris.
While portrayals of relationships in mainstream media remain largely chaste, there have been a few edgier programmes. The television show Witch Hunt, which first aired in , was known for its frank talk about sex and relationships, but was originally conceived as a programme to teach awkward men how to succeed in romance and all of the four hosts were male. The crime had been punishable by up to two years in prison, although jail time had become increasingly rare. The court had previously reviewed the law three times and kept it in place.
