WARNING:
This post is rated NSFW (Not Safe For Work) and for adults only – if on
a work computer or around kids, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE hit the ‘back’
button on your browser before scrolling down. If you’re not around kids
and are comfortable with seeing anatomically correct statues in various,
er, adult positions, then continue on. You have been warned.
If
Loveland isn’t the most controversial tourist destination in Korea (the
Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, being the only other possibility worth
mentioning), I’m not sure what is. Plant what amounts to a sex park on
the largest island of a traditionally conservative country and see what
kind of reaction you get.
Having
a sex park on Jeju actually does a bit of sense after a history lesson.
Jeju-do (Jeju island) has served as a honeymoon destination for Koreans
since the Korean War.
Some
marriages were arranged by parents, meaning there was a bit of
awkwardness of trying to bed this new spouse they may have just met.
Also, Koreans weren’t allowed to leave the country until the early
1990′s meant ‘getting away’ was going to Jeju instead of Thailand.
According to Wikipedia and Der Speigel, some hotel employees served as
‘professional icebreakers’ (read: marriage consummation helpers) while
hotels offered ‘entertainment packages’ to help couples relax and, um,
get things started.
First
planned in 2002 and opened in November of 2004, 20 Hongik University
students contributed sculptures and other artwork to the site in an
effort to celebrate sex and the human form. While most pieces certainly
qualify as art, remember the entire park is about sex. If it’s any
consolation, admission is limited to those 19 years of age or older;
kids or the underaged have an inoffensive play area to enjoy while the
adults go sightseeing.
This
is your final warning – if kids are around or you’re uncomfortable with
seeing the human form displayed a frank fashion, click your ‘back’
button or go here to Google something else.
One of the more unusual displays introduces itself shortly after arriving. Note the door handles.
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