When the star rapper Jay Park appears on Korean TV, he covers the compass tattoo on his neck with skin-toned tape. Tattoos are censored on public broadcasters here in Seoul because such body art has long been considered socially taboo.
But the nation moved a step closer to destigmatizing body ink on Thursday when the National Assembly passed a bill that would give legal status to tattoo artists, allowing them to practice in the open instead of in windowless backrooms or basement studios. President Lee Jae Myung is expected to sign it into law in the coming weeks.
“Now we can be proud of what we do for a living and work in spaces with large windows like hair salons,” said Heo Jun-ho, who manages a tattoo parlor in Seoul.
Under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, getting a tattoo was classified as a medical procedure, and only doctors were legally permitted to administer them. Violators of the law faced a fine of up to $36,000 or even jail time.
Tattoos have long been stigmatized in South Korea. During the Koryo dynasty, from 918 to 1392 A.D., people were forcibly given tattoos on their face or arms listing their crimes or branding them as slaves. In the 20th century, tattoos were adopted by criminal gangs.
Despite the ban, the South Korean tattoo industry has been robust: Recent government estimates put the tattooist population around 350,000 people, and more than a million people are estimated to have at least one tattoo. (It is not illegal to get a tattoo here; the law applies only to tattoo artists.)
Once the new law takes effect, artists will be able to practice legally after acquiring a government-approved license. Studios will also need to comply with new hygiene and safety standards.
“We may have to renovate the studio and retrain our artists to meet those requirements, but it will be worth it,” Mr. Heo said.
The bill’s critics included some lawmakers and some in the medical community who said tattooing was unsafe and unhygienic.
Mr. Lee pledged to legalize tattooing during the 2022 presidential campaign, which he lost by a sliver to Yoon Suk Yeol. Two months before the election, the Constitutional Court voted to uphold the illegal status of tattoos in a 5-to-4 ruling.
After Mr. Yoon was impeached late last year, Mr. Lee won the presidency in a special election in June. He has about two weeks to sign the bill, which his health minister has also publicly supported.
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul.
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