South Korean Tattoo Documentary

South Korean Tattoo Documentary

The Seven Star Mob requires a pattern of stars across the chest of its members, while the Double Dragons have two mythical beasts intertwined on their arms. 

Pop stars are forced to cover up their body art while on television, with BTS singer Jeon Jung-kook regularly covering his hands in bandages.

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Ryu Ho-jeon caused a stir for wearing a red wrap dress with black sneakers to Korea's National Assembly. ( News: Mitch Denman Woolnough  )

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In a country where nearly 85 per cent of national assembly members are male and 97 per cent are more than 40 years of age, a bright mini dress stands out against a bland background of navy and grey suits.

Her choice of outfit sparked a heated social media backlash, including accusations she wasn't showing respect to the chamber and was dressed like a sex worker. 

In a purple gown, she turned away from the media so they could take photos of her bare back covered in fake tattoos. 

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Ryu Ho-jeong says it's time for South Korea to change its laws as currently,  only medical doctors can give people tattoos. (Supplied: Ryu Ho-jeong )

Despite the vast majority of the estimated 20, 000 tattoo artists in South Korea operating outside the law, it is still a destination for many seeking some new ink. 

Among the most sought-after is tattoo artist Doy. He has a reputation for precise, fine ink work and has left his mark on a variety of celebrities, including Brad Pitt. 

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The tattoo I did was safe and everyone is satisfied with result, but it has been handed over for trial, Doy said. 

Doy says the media treat tattoos as if they are something to be embarrassed by and force people to cover up. ( News: Mitch Denman Woolnough  )

He says that, although he has not had any conflict with clients in his 15 years of tattooing, the illegal nature of the work means that artists are vulnerable to blackmail. 

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When a customer is not satisfied with the result or process of the tattoo, it can't be resolved by civil negotiation or compensation like in other service business, he said. 

[Of the survey respondents], 80 per cent of people in their 20s support changing the law, but older age groups tend to be more negative [towards] the tattoo, she said. 

Still, she's pushing forward with her legislation and says that, if the law is changed, she'll swap the fake tattoos she sported recently for the real thing.

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One poll showed more than 50 per cent of Koreans would support a change in the tattoo legislation. ( News: Mitch Denman Woolnough  )South Korean tattoo artists have built huge social-media followings with fans around the world. There's only one problem: Their work is illegal.

Angle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. In South Korea, tattooing is defined as a medical procedure that may only be carried out by doctors — leaving tattoo artists such as Hongdam (in black) to work in the shadows. Hongdam

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Tattoos In South Korea.

South Korean tattoo artist Ilwol Hongdam has inked close to 4, 000 people in the last 10 years, many of whom flew into Seoul just to see him.

With more than 371, 000 followers on Instagram, he is one of the most well-known names in the South Korean industry. He's drawn in fans around the world with his intricate creations, which are influenced by traditional Korean art.

In South Korea, tattooing itself is not against the law, but it's defined as a medical procedure that may only be carried out by licensed medical professionals. Hongdam, like the 3, 000 other tattoo artists registered with the Korea Tattoo Association, is not a doctor. If caught, they face a minimum two-year prison sentence or a fine upwards of one million won ($822).

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Some artists draw on canvas or even rocks, I happen to draw on skin. Why is that illegal? It's not justified, the 35-year-old told .

He is, however, hopeful that change is on its way, especially given the attention that some politicians have bestowed to the issue of late. In the run-up to the presidential elections on Wednesday, ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung has promised to back bills, now pending in parliament, to legalize tattooing. And in June, lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong proposed a billto allow trained tattoo artists to be legally certified. Pictures of her promoting the bill at the National Assembly instantly went viral when she showed up with erasable tattoos on her back.

Spoke to seven South Korean tattoo artists about the paradox at the core of their profession, as they build up social-media presences to attract customers but hide their workshops in basements to avoid drawing the scrutiny of the law. Among those spoke to, the female tattoo artists described an extra layer of challenges, in which they're unable to report instances of sexual misconduct by customers.

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People have tried to lobby for tattoo legalization for a long time, but it's never been in the spotlight as much as it has in the past year, Hongdam said.

Having a permanent mark engraved on one's body was a source of social shame and lower status, because they were associated with criminal gangs or slaves, said Jo Elfving-Hwang, director of the Korea Research Centre at the University of Western Australia.

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But now tattoos are quite popular in Korea, and it's not unusual to see younger people sporting them, Elfving-Hwang continued. Tattoos are becoming fashionable, and perhaps even a signifier of individuality.

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According to the Korea Tattoo Association, at least one million people in the country currently have tattoos. The tattooing industry is worth about 200 billion won ($164 million) a year.

Top celebrities such as Jungkook of superstar boy band BTS, heart-throb actors So Ji-sub and Ji Chang-wook, as well as K-pop singer Lee Hyori, are all known to have tattoos.

Lee has multiple tattoos on her body, including a flower pattern on her shoulder, the word love on the back of her neck, script on the back of her right arm, and small motifs on her hands and wrists. She has done multiple cover photo shoots with Cosmopolitan Korea showing off her tattoos, including in 2017, which was warmly received by fans on Instagram.

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Celebrities such as K-pop singer Lee Hyori. who has several tattoos on her body, are seen as trendsetters. The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images

Even so, celebrities are still often required to cover up their tattoos on mainstream TV. Jungkook, for example, wore long sleeves and bandages to cover up his hand tattoos on a talk show aired by public broadcaster KBS.

Hongdam's studio is in an office building with no visible signage. He only shares the address with customers the day before their appointment. Occasionally, he said, he provides clients with the address of another spot nearby and picks them up from there.

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Meanwhile, Sol, another popular tattoo artist with more than 572, 000 Instagram followers, runs a nondescript studio in the trendy Hongdae neighborhood. The area is littered with hip cafes and clothing stores, but from looking at the bare white walls outside of Sol's store, passersby would never be able to guess what's inside.

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You cannot proudly hang a signboard outside your tattoo shop. All tattoo shops in Korea have to be operated in private, said Sol, who is known for his detailed designs of animals and flowers.

While the police do not tend to actively go after tattoo artists, the authorities will take action if any of them get reported, Sol and Hongdam said. Both artists said they have avoided trouble so far, but they know of others in the industry who have not been as lucky.

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In 2019, a tattoo artist with the last name Kim was given three years' probation and fined three million won ($2, 450) for tattooing without a medical license, per Yonhap news agency.

And two months ago, another artist was given three years' probation and fined six million won for the same reason, per Korean economic magazine Money S. The penalty wiped out the artist's estimated takings of five million won earned over a year and a half, the outlet said.

It's perhaps even more challenging for female tattoo artists, who are vulnerable to sexual harassment by customers — but who, because they're operating under the table, cannot report them.

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A female tattoo artist, who only wishes to go by her artist name Ragyeom, told : Tattooing is an illegal business, so revealing ourselves to the police puts us at risk, even if we become victims of abuse.

For this reason, it's not uncommon for some female tattoo artists to choose to work solely with female customers, said the artist, who is known for her bold use of colors.

Some female tattoo artists choose to work solely with women customers to avoid sexual harassment from

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The Underground World Of South Korean Tattoo Artists

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