South Korea moves closer to legalizing tattoo artistry

South Korea's National Assembly moved closer to passing the Tattooist Act, a landmark bill that would legalize tattooing by non-medical personnel and establish a licensing framework for practitioners. The legislation, which would take effect after a two-year grace period, could be brought to a plenary vote as early as Thursday.

Under current law, tattooing is treated as a medical procedure, and only licensed doctors may perform it. Violators face potential prison time of up to five years and fines up to 50 million won, though enforcement has been inconsistent and many tattooists work underground. Song Jaemin, a popular tattoo artist in Goyang near Seoul, said he is fully booked weeks in advance but still acknowledges he is breaking the law whenever he inks a client. 'I began this even though I knew it was illegal, but I was confident that legal restrictions would be eased and things would change,' the 28-year-old said in a recent interview at his studio. 'Many tattoo artists think we are not doing illegal things and there is just no law for us.'

Public sentiment toward tattoos has evolved from stigma to broader acceptance over time. In the past, tattoos were linked to crime, but today they are visible on people from all walks of life, including K-pop stars such as BTS's Jungkook, TWICE's Chaeyoung and BigBang's G-Dragon. Experts estimate millions of South Koreans have tattoos, with about 70% of them cosmetic tattoos on eyebrows, eyelines, lips or scalps.

On the legal framework, the Tattooist Act would introduce official licenses for tattoo artists and require hygiene education courses annually at government-designated sites. The law would take effect after a two-year grace period and would subject tattooists to government oversight. There is bipartisan support; it has already cleared the assembly's health and judiciary committees, and the Health Ministry says it supports the act, while doctors oppose more strongly now but their opposition has weakened.

Lim Bo-ran, leader of the Korea Tattoo Federation, said tattoo artists should appeal financial penalties to higher courts to bolster their case. Kim Sho-yun, 45, who runs a cosmetic tattoo studio in Hanam city, said she would shed tears if the law becomes law, saying it would take a long-accumulated load off her mind.

Kim Soyoung, 54, a client at a cosmetic tattoo studio, recalled being 'truly terrified' years ago when a person close to her threatened to report her business to authorities and 'destroy all I have' after a dispute. She said the dispute was resolved, but the memory lingers. Song said many of his clients include police officers, civil servants, soldiers and U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, with some traveling from China, the U.K., Malaysia and Iraq. When Associated Press reporters visited Song's studio, he was finishing a forearm portrait of Jesus on Lee Byong-joo, 37, as a steady stream of other tattoos waited nearby. 'There is no limit in tattoos. Whatever you draw on paper, carbon paper, walls or elsewhere, we can also do the same on human bodies. There are really unlimited tattoo styles and artists,' Song said.

Judges in recent years have increasingly ruled in favor of tattoo artists or issued deferred rulings to shield them from penalties, though some have been fined. Some tattooists have even moved abroad for work to escape enforcement. If enacted, the Tattooist Act would bring formal licensing, safety standards and government supervision to an industry that has long operated in the shadows, a change that supporters say could improve public health while ending a decades-long legal anomaly that keeps Korea alone among developed nations.