South Korea may soon legalize tattooing by non-medical professionals

South Korea may soon lift its decades-old prohibition on tattooing by non-medical professionals as lawmakers prepare to debate a key bill that would bring the underground practice into legal recognition.

Artists speak out: More than 70 tattoo artists from across the country gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday, urging lawmakers to approve the Tattooist Act following years of unsuccessful legislative attempts. “For 33 years, our work has been treated as a crime,” said Lee So-mi, vice chair of the Tattoo Union under the Federation of Korean Chemical and Textile Food Workers’ Union, as per the Korea Times. “We are asking the National Assembly to recognize our sacred right to labor and protect the safety of 13 million tattoo consumers.”

The proposed legislation merges competing party proposals and would establish a licensing system requiring tattoo artists to pass national exams and obtain health ministry approval. Earlier this year, the Health and Welfare Committee postponed action on three different tattooing bills despite bipartisan backing, instead asking the Health Ministry to craft a unified proposal over two to three months.

The long fight: South Korea’s tattoo ban originated with a 1992 Supreme Court decision that classified tattooing as a medical procedure, arguing that injecting pigments into skin represents a medical intervention with health implications. The ruling placed tattoo work under medical service laws and made it illegal for anyone without a medical license to perform the procedure.

Legislative efforts to change the law have surfaced since 2004 but consistently met resistance from medical associations. Tattoo advocates faced another blow in 2022 when the Constitutional Court narrowly upheld the restriction by one vote, leading industry leader Kim Do-yoon, who represents 650 tattoo artists, to respond, “No one in the world believes that tattooing is a medical practice and requires medical expertise.”

Why this matters: Despite the legal ban, South Korea’s tattoo industry has flourished clandestinely. Officials estimate some 13 million citizens have tattoos in what has become a 200 billion won market. Many Korean tattoo artists have also gained worldwide recognition and celebrity clients. Decriminalizing tattooing by non-medical professionals could bring the industry out of the shadows and establish proper safety regulations while protecting both artists and consumers from the current legal uncertainty.

The revised Tattooist Act is scheduled for formal discussion in a legislative subcommittee on Aug. 20.