Chapter 371 |
A gang that smuggled real dolls disguised as mannequins was confirmed to have supplied thousands of them to adult shopping malls and other businesses, reaping illicit profits.
Police contacted the buyers, but they all vehemently denied their purchases.
The apprehended ringleader admitted to the smuggling but argued that the real dolls themselves were legitimate products that had clearly passed various tests in the United States.
Indeed, while Korea prohibits their customs clearance under the Customs Act, there is no law banning the production or sale of real dolls.
The prosecution deliberated on the level of punishment.
In fact, controversies surrounding real dolls have existed for a long time in foreign countries as well, and this includes the sexually open United States and Europe.
What fanned the flames was Faceit's release of Annie, the world's first VR real doll, after acquiring Dancing Rabbit.
In the past, real dolls were merely an evolution of masturbatory aids. However, in recent years, related technology has rapidly advanced, with their appearance evolving to a level indistinguishable from humans. With the addition of artificial intelligence and VR technology, they have now reached a point where they can genuinely replace sexual intercourse with a person.
Annie was equipped with a human-like texture and temperature, and AI capable of network connection.
In this case, depending on the content, users could enjoy entirely new forms of play. This approach overcame the Uncanny Valley phenomenon (the discomfort felt when an object is not human but bears a close resemblance), and it gained explosive popularity among single men.
The problem was that this led to significant changes in the dating and marriage markets.
According to a survey by a dating agency, men who purchased Annie were less active in seeking out partners and showed less interest in relationships with the opposite sex compared to those who did not. Furthermore, a considerable number of respondents reported frequently conversing with Annie and feeling affection for her.
This meant that many users were thinking of real dolls not just for sex, but as romantic partners, and experts assessed that the future of falling in love with AI had already begun.
Radical Christian groups issued statements and even staged performances, burning real dolls on pyres as if in a witch hunt.
Though, in reality, there were only a few Annies; most were cheap Chinese-made real dolls.
Women's groups argued that real dolls accelerated the sexual commodification of women, spread misconceptions about sex, and reinforced sexual perversions, thereby mass-producing sex offenders.
Within the United States, ethical debates continued over how far real dolls should be permitted.
This phenomenon occurs because, despite rapid technological advancements, people's attitudes towards sex have not significantly changed.
Whether people avoid dating or marriage due to the influence of real dolls is ultimately a matter of personal choice and freedom. Therefore, restricting it is impossible.
However, it was clear that a societal discussion on this issue was necessary.
At least in foreign countries, discussions are taking place; Korea, on the other hand, is completely blocking any discussion by banning pornography and the import of real dolls.
- Annie truly shines when combined with content. Even if real dolls are allowed, isn't it useless if pornography isn't permitted?
- The global pornography industry is growing, but Korea alone is pursuing an isolationist policy like Heungseon Daewongun in the late Joseon Dynasty.
- This is all because of Confucian culture and those sanctimonious prudes.
- Is Assemblyman Nam Seong-gwi our only hope now?
- Everyone's hope rests on Assemblyman Nam Seong-gwi!
- Nam Seong-gwi, GazuAAA!!! (Let's go!!!)
***
While the National Assembly was tumultuous with partisan strife and the resignation of Assemblyman Myeong Jin-wook, Assemblyman Nam Seong-gwi, despite various opposing voices, gained the consent of non-mainstream members within his party and opposition party members to propose a bill for the legalization of pornography.
Considering the social atmosphere, opposition from women's and religious groups, and resistance from conservatives and liberals who emphasized Confucian ideology and political correctness, it was realistically impossible for the pornography legalization bill to pass the National Assembly.
Therefore, it was nominally proposed as a 'Pornography Regulation Act'—one that would recognize the copyright of pornography and not punish its production or distribution, but would establish a review body and strengthen adult verification and youth protection...
However, regulating something and creating related laws meant legalizing it within the framework of that regulation.
The biggest enemy in proposing this bill was, in fact, internal.
Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi, who had returned to her status as a lawmaker from being the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, united with female lawmakers regardless of party affiliation and appealed for the support of women's groups, raising her voice against the bill.
"Korea is a country with severe sexual commodification of women, exploitation of women, and crimes against women! If pornography is legalized in such a country, sex crimes will increase, and women's human rights will be infringed. We must stop this, no matter what!"
It was a logic she had presented countless times, so there was nothing particularly new about it. Of course, she offered no evidence to support it.
Faceit, in alliance with content providers, pressured the Korean government by campaigning and filing lawsuits to demand recognition of pornography copyrights.
In the past, Korean judicial authorities had dismissed all copyright lawsuits, stating that investigative powers could not be exercised to protect illegal materials.
However, this time, in a lawsuit filed by Faceit against web-hard (file-sharing) sites and heavy uploaders, the first-instance court ruled that since Korea is a member of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), if video materials were legally produced in a trading partner country and did not clearly violate social norms, their copyright should be protected.
As the gap between law and reality had already widened significantly, there was a clear need to create relevant legislation.
However, the backlash from women's and religious groups was a major burden. But in this situation, an incident occurred.
Prosecutors, having caught wind of suspicions that Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi's husband had accepted bribes during her tenure as minister, conducted a raid. However, they found no evidence of bribery; instead, they discovered a large amount of pornography on his computer.
The prosecution almost indicted him, mistaking a pornographic film featuring an adult actress in a school uniform for child pornography. When this fact was disclosed, the internet went into an uproar.
- Wow! She said pornography was a definite no-go, but her husband was a porn enthusiast.
- Is her husband's name Kim Bonjwa, by any chance? (A notorious uploader of porn in Korea)
- LOL. There was even porn with school uniforms. Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi always argued that even if an adult actress plays the part, if it can be mistaken for a minor, it should be severely punished under the Child and Youth Protection Act. That should apply to her husband then.
- According to Shin Jeon-mi's logic, her porn-watching husband has a high chance of becoming a sex offender infringing on women's rights, so he should be arrested~
- Absolutely. This deserves the death penalty.
- Did he watch it alone, or did they watch it together?
- Anyway, just like Assemblyman Myeong Jin-wook, the hypocrisy ("if I do it, it's romance; if others do it, it's an affair") within the New Politics Party is truly something.
- If you have any conscience, resign from your position.
- Resign!
Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi cried out that it was unfair, but the public's gaze was cold.
Due to a combination of intellectual property rights issues, pressure from foreign companies, changes in the internal party political landscape following Assemblyman Myeong Jin-wook's resignation, the division of women's groups that supported Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi, and the support of internet public opinion, the Pornography Regulation Act narrowly passed the National Assembly.
Although subject to review and regulation, the path to officially producing and distributing pornography in Korea had finally opened!
- Wow! I feel like I'm going to cry ㅜㅜ
- Can adults watch adult content now?
- I never thought I'd see the day pornography would be legalized in Korea in my lifetime!
- Today should be declared Porn Independence Day! The day we are liberated from Japanese AV!
- So, does this mean we can't illegally download from web-hard sites and torrents anymore?
- Pay to watch ㅡㅡ
- Huh! Are you saying poor people can't watch porn either?
- The money spent on web-hard sites is similar to Faceit's subscription fee anyway. It's better to watch one more video than to spend time looking for illegal files.
- Faceit says they will officially support Korean subtitles. I should study English while watching Western ladies~
- I'm going to study Russian.
If nothing else, this law was certain to contribute to job creation.
No matter how much foreign pornography floods the market, there is always demand for domestic pornography in any country.
It was predicted that over thousands of related jobs would be created in review, planning, production, distribution, and monitoring.
Pornography companies from the US, Japan, Europe, and elsewhere were already preparing to enter the Korean market, anticipating its opening. Faceit highly valued the potential of the Korean pornography market and announced plans to launch official services in Korea and venture into Korean pornography production.
Assemblywoman Shin Jeon-mi had said she would not hesitate to leave the party if the bill passed, but once it actually passed, she subtly changed her tune, saying she would fight to the end and monitor it from within the party.
***
We gathered at Hyun-joo noona's place.
"Oh Geon has grown so much."
"Tell me about it. It's hard to even hold him now."
Kids really do shoot up, different every day.
We sat around the dining table, eating and drinking wine. I was able to hear news about Golden Gate.
"Branch Manager Chase Southwell will be retiring soon."
He had expressed his intention to retire due to health issues, and the process of selecting a successor had begun.
"Is his health that bad?"
Hyun-joo noona shook her head.
"It's more like he just wants to rest now."
"Well, he is getting on in years."
Even excluding Korea, China, and Japan, with India and ASEAN countries rapidly growing, the Asian branch remains a crucial location.
However, there is no suitable person to replace him.
Ellie said,
"Jessica was originally supposed to take on that role, but she ended up at the Korean branch."
It's not as if she could abandon the Korean branch and return to Hong Kong. Even if it's doing well, the Korean branch has only been established for a few years. Hyun-joo noona couldn't possibly leave her position in this situation.
After dinner, I went out to the garden with Henry. Henry effortlessly lifted Oh Geon with one arm.
Seeing them like this, they looked very much alike.
"You pulled off something big again, I hear. Thanks to you, all the reporters around the house have disappeared."
"That's a relief."
I nodded and casually brought up a topic.
"Actually, I have a concern these days."
Henry turned his head to look at me.
"Is it because of antitrust laws?"
"That's right."
"Certainly, neither OTK Company nor CarOS can stay as they are indefinitely."
Autonomous driving and batteries are key technologies of the future.
Currently, the proportion of autonomous electric vehicles is less than 5 percent of all cars.
But what if this ratio exceeds 30 percent, and one company dominates its operating system? This would undoubtedly become a problem.
For such a massive company to remain unlisted is unprecedented.
"Giant IT companies like Npple, Gooble, MS, Facenote, and AMZ are not free from monopoly issues either, but they are companies listed in the US and are under the supervision of the US government. If the company's growth benefits American shareholders, there's no need to break them up. But CarOS is different. CarOS is unlisted, and OTK Company is also unlisted. As the market share increases, concerns about monopoly will only grow."
Korean chaebol owners think that since they grew their companies to this extent, the companies belong to them. This might be true for a neighborhood corner store, but it's a different story for large corporations.
Fundamentally, a giant corporation cannot be built without a societal infrastructure as its foundation. That's why it is subject to various government regulations and must fulfill its social responsibilities.
OTK Company has so far established corporations in tax havens and used its status as an investment company to evade various regulations.
In the meantime, its corporate value has grown to a world-class level.
How long can this situation continue?
"The amount of money circulating in the global financial markets is beyond imagination. The money Jin-hoo possesses is just the tip of the iceberg compared to that. But for one person to have that much money is unprecedented. Marcus Crassus or John D. Rockefeller would probably be astonished if they saw it."
It's ironic, really.
To think a day would come when I'd be worrying about having too much money.
In a hierarchical society, it was a virtue for individuals to suppress their desires. Society was maintained by everyone fulfilling their roles without straying from a predetermined framework. However, in a capitalist society, individual desires are the driving force that makes society function.
The poor want to become rich, and the rich want to become even richer. If everyone hadn't strived to have more, the society we have today could not have been created.
"How much time do we have left?"
Henry thought for a moment, then said,
"It depends on the growth rate, but we'll probably have to prepare for CarOS's IPO within one or two years at the latest."