SEOUL – Seoul authorities have repeatedly prevented KXF The Fashion 2024 – a popular Korean adult industry expo featuring Japanese AV artists – scheduled for this week from finding a suitable venue, forcing organizers to cancel the event.
The expo was banned from taking place in a cruise bar in a Han River park, as well as in a cafe alley in the Gangnam district.
“By banning the festival, local governments have expressed concern that the event, featuring Japanese porn stars, could distort people’s perception of sex,” said Lee Hyo-jin of the Korea Times. reported.
2024 KXF The Fashion was organized by Play Joker, a company that was unable to find alternative locations as local governments and even utility companies forced every proposed location to cancel or reject bookings for the expo.
The expo would feature a fashion show, a fan meetup and dance performances with various Japanese adult performers.
Previous versions of the expo also suffered from government pressure due to the adult nature of the event. In February, the original location of an exhibition hall in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, had to be changed after local residents protested. A proposed replacement in Paju, also in Gyeonggi province, was also canceled by that city’s government.
Ultimately, the event was held in February at a bar on a boat anchored on the riverbank of Jamwon Hangang Park in Seoul, where this week’s edition of 2024 KXF The Fashion was scheduled to take place.
However, The Korea News reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Government “banned hosting the festival last week because it feared the event could ‘distort people’s perception of sex’ and possibly lead to sex crimes. This decision was based on the River Act and the capital’s regulations on projects and events along the river.”
Play Joker tried to defy City Hall, but the government warned them that the electricity at the boat bar would be cut off if they held the event.
On Monday, Play Joker’s Instagram account announced that the event would take place in the Apgujeong area of Gangnam District, without disclosing the specific location. Those who purchased tickets in advance would be notified rave-style on Friday evening.
The Gangnam district office responded by warning the hundreds of cafes and bars in the bustling district, made famous by Psy’s global hit, that “organizing the festival for adults would be illegal under the Food Sanitation Act,” the Korea Times reported.
Reform Party politician stands up for adult entertainment
On Wednesday, Reform Party MP-elect Chun Ha-ram wrote on Facebook in support of 2024 KXF The Fashion, stating that he believed that “enjoying adult culture should be allowed in adult-only spaces. ”
“Somewhere along the line,” he wrote, “our society began to adopt strange norms whereby women’s basic instincts are widely recognized as legitimate, while men’s instincts are stigmatized as inherently criminal and abhorrent.”
Chun added that the act of censorship could also be seen as gender discrimination against men, citing previous adult shows and female musicals that took place in Seoul without an official outcry.
Chun urged the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gangnam District Office to reconsider their decisions to ban the festival,” the Korea Times reported.