Chun Ha-ram, lawmaker-elect of the Reform Party, speaks to reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, April 11. Yonhap

A lawmaker-elect of the minor Reform Party stood by a controversial adult festival recently banned in Seoul and cities across Gyeonggi Province, saying that enjoying adult culture in adults-only spaces should be allowed.

Dubbed the "2024 KXF The Fashion," the festival is scheduled for this weekend, but it has encountered venue rejections from both — a cruise bar at a Han River park and a cafe alley in Gangnam District. Banning the festival, local governments have expressed concerns that the event, featuring Japanese porn stars, could distort people's perceptions of sex.

"Somewhere along the line, our society began applying strange standards where basic instincts of women are widely recognized as rightful, while men's instincts are stigmatized as inherently criminal and repulsive," Chun Ha-ram, a Reform Party lawmaker-elect, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

Chun secured a seat in the National Assembly through proportional representation voting in the April 10 general elections.

The lawmaker-elect said that prohibiting the 2024 KXF The Fashion — a festival apparently catering to men — could be viewed as gender discrimination, citing past adult shows and musicals aimed at women that were held across Seoul.

He urged the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gangnam District Office to reconsider their decisions to ban the festival.

Chun's comments come amid struggles encountered by Play Joker, the organizer of the upcoming adult show, in securing a venue with just days remaining until its scheduled date. The repeated cancellations of venue rentals by local governments have compounded their challenges.

According to the organizer, the event will feature a fashion show, fan meetup and dance performances with several Japanese porn actors. The entrance fee to last year's event was about 90,000 won ($65).

In February, the organizer had planned to hold the festival at an exhibition hall in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, but the event was called off due mainly to opposition from residents. The organizers then attempted to relocate to a studio in Paju, also Gyeonggi Province, but this was also canceled due to opposition from the Paju City Government.

As it became difficult to hold the event in the Gyeonggi area, the organizer moved to a bar on a boat anchored on the riverside of Jamwon Hangang Park.

However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government prohibited the hosting of the festival last week, citing concerns that the event could distort people's perceptions of sex and potentially trigger sex crimes. This decision was based on the River Act and the capital's regulations on riverside projects and events.

After the organizer said it will proceed with the event on the cruise, Seoul City warned that it would cut off electricity at the bar if they push ahead.

The organizer announced via its Instagram account on Monday that the event will be relocated to the Apgujeong neighborhood in Gangnam District, adding that the specific venue will be notified only to those who pay the entrance fee in advance, by Friday night.

But the Gangnam District Office notified the hundreds of cafes and bars in the neighborhood, Wednesday, that hosting the adult festival would be illegal according to the Food Sanitation Act.