As anyone who's ever been to Japan and (accidentally) stepped into a hardcore anime porn shop should know, Asian culture may seem sexually conservative but bubbling close beneath the surface is a kinky side. And this is no more true than when you take a trip to South Korea's adults-only erotic theme park, Loveland.
In 2002, 20 graduates of Seoul's premiere university for fine arts and design, Hongik University, began creating sculptures for Loveland. And wow, what sculptures!
A larger-than-life bronze woman in the throes of self-induced ecstasy, a giant green hand with one finger slipped into a protruding opening, and of course more erect phalluses than any gay porn movie set.
Two years later, Jeju Loveland opened, showcasing in total 140 works of very not-safe-for-work art in a space about the size of two soccer fields. There are also monthly exhibitions featuring various Korean artists held in the exhibition hall, along with live models, photographic and sex-toy exhibitions and film showings.
And of course like any good park, Loveland has two mascots: Bulkkeuni, a walking phallus with yellow mittens and Ssaekkeuni, a vagina dressed in a big, floppy hat with a bow. Altogether, it all makes for a giggle-inducing experience.
Loveland isn't on the Korean mainland, and instead can be found on Jeju Island (sometimes spelt Cheju Island) — the southernmost part of South Korea. According to Spiegel Online, this home to 600,000 inhabitants has held the title of the country's "Honeymoon Isle" since the end of the Korean War.
Until the last decade, most South Koreans were unable — for both financial and political reasons — to travel abroad, making Jeju Island, with it's warmer weather, beaches and mountain scenery, a popular destination for newly married couples.
And as many of these couples had entered arranged marriages, by default Jeju also became a kind of "island of sex ed". A place for nervous couples to get to know one another — and each other's bedroom habits. So it's fitting that it was here Loveland should find its home.
After all, there's no better way to get over the embarrassment of your first time than with the sight of three figures locked in bizarre tantric sex positions. Even today, when more and more South Koreans are travelling abroad, Jeju remains popular with (blushing) honeymooners, and increasingly with tourists from nearby Japan.
But the island is also a hit with South Korea's elderly generation, who perhaps have a more comfortable been-there-done-that attitude, and can often be seen mounting elongated penises and horsing around like they're reborn teenagers.
- Jeju Loveland is a short taxi drive from Jeju City, and 10 minutes from the Jeju International Airport.
- Visitors should allow 40 minutes during the day, and 50 minutes at night to view all the exhibits.
- Admission is KRW7000 (approximately $7).
- To enter you must be 18 years of age or older, but a recreation and play area is available for minors while adults enjoy the park.
Address: 680-26, Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea
Phone: +82 64 712 6988
Head to the Jeju Loveland site for more information.
Want to see the rudest images?
Most of the funniest sculptures at Jeju Loveland are too rude for us to show here, so if you'd like to see more, you'll need to follow the link to
this blog. Enjoy!
Home