Inside Seoul’s BDSM Party ​​Where Kinky Fantasies Come Alive

The Sins party known for its BDSM shows has been a staple event since it was launched by party organizer Shade Seoul in 2018. The “inclusive DJ and party label” according to its X account, hosts a range of parties—from its mother party Shade, it also has Glow, Femme, and Sins, each with a different musical genre and theme. The Sins party is the much darker version, featuring harder beats and sexually explicit performances. Held almost every other month, it invites people to explore BDSM and release their sexual energy.

BDSM and other erotic practices are often considered taboo in conservative South Korea. Some locals see it as an abnormal sexual desire saying that it’s pleasure derived from violence and mistreatment. In articles published on local media, it is often described as perverted libido. When Love and Leashes, a BDSM-themed South Korean movie, was released on Netflix last year, locals debated whether it was appropriate to bring the topic to light.

But it looks like at least some young people in Seoul are ready to start the discussion. According to the organizer, roughly 400 people attend Shade Seoul’s Sins party whenever they hold the event, with many looking to live out their kinky fantasies away from judgmental eyes. “Those who have come to the Sins party have been given an insight into it [BDSM] and the freedom to explore after,” Shade Seoul’s co-founder Lindsay Ryklief, also known as Ligrye, told VICE. “Take it home, see what you can get into, be a sub, be a pup, pour some wax, get into shibari. You know?”

The party is also its “response to a need for a space for people to experience harder sounds.” With a focus on the techno and industrial music genre, the party has become a platform for diverse BDSM performances because whips and chains go hand-in-hand with harder sounds. “We wanted to show ideas of BDSM, but not say definitively that this is BDSM. It’s just themed, which we feel is an important distinction,” Ligrye said.

Another thing that makes it special is the collaborations with local and international artists. Ligrye said some of the most memorable moments for the team consisting of himself, Korean DJs Net Gala and Seesea, include the wax show, where performers pour wax from candles all over their bodies, and the sparks show, where they shoot sparks out of metal spikes on their bras. Some of the biggest collaborations include those with burlesque performer Flowerbomb and artists like Arca, Juliana Huxtable, and Yaeji.

These parties are usually held in Cakeshop, an underground club in Seoul’s nightlife district Itaewon where many LGBTQ bars and clubs can be found. The collective does its best to ensure that its party is a safe space for everyone and reminds partygoers of its policy for each event: “There will be a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind… Body shaming, slut shaming, racism, ableism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, and fatphobia are not tolerated.”

“It’s really nice because whoever you are, you can come to the party regardless of your gender identity and sexual orientation,” said photographer Kanghyuk Lee, who captured the party.

“In Seoul, it’s almost impossible to find a club party where everyone can blend in with one another. Surprisingly, my gay friends also said they had more fun and felt more liberated at the event than at other parties only for gay people as they don’t have to dance under the table.”

“BDSM performances are more of letting people get vicarious pleasure. I hope that there will be more such events,” the photographer said. “Our sexual desires are repressed in South Korea. People need to have those sexual outlets. How could anyone possibly live without finding the release?”

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