There are not many commercials about tattooists in South Korea, but it is normal to see someone who has tattoos. Among 51 million people in South Korea, about a million people have tattoos according to estimates by the Korean tattoo Federation. Despite this, most of the 100 thousand tattooists in South Korea operate illegally. In 1992, the High Court of Korea deemed tattooing a doctors’ job, as there is a possible skin infection. It has also been associated with hepatitis, an infectious disease that could develop into liver cancer. Resulting in the requirement for all tattoo practitioners to have a medical degree in order to perform tattooing. In the early ’90s, a number of countries shared similar laws that outlawed tattoo practices. However, as of 2019, South Korea is the only county to maintain this law, as Japan changed its law in 2018.
On August 28 and September 2, the Korea tattoo Federation protested in front of the South Korean National Assembly, saying that this law is unjust, and the law should be revised to have better monitoring and permits for tattooing without a doctor’s degree as long as they pass a standardized safety test. Many tattooists have said during the protest that they have never seen a tattoo artist practice with a doctor’s degree, but news outlets found at least two practitioners in Korea who does so. This law forces most tattooists to operate undercover and makes it easier for the tattooist to be exposed to crime, sometimes even blackmailed with being turned in to the police. Tattooists in Korea have filed a petition to the High Court to change this law and is now waiting the court’s decision.
Written by Sungwon Mun | Staff Writer
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