South Korea legalizes tattoos by nonmedical artists

The country’s National Assembly voted on Thursday to approve a bill ending a 33-year requirement for tattoo artists to have a medical license. The unicameral chamber voted 190-0 for the measure, with seven members abstaining, according to the Korea Herald.

The new law says tattoo artists must pass a national exam to obtain a professional license. They must receive hygiene and safety training every year, and cannot tattoo minors without parental consent. Only medical professionals can perform tattoo removal. The law will take effect in about two years. It allows existing practitioners an additional two-year transitional period to comply with the law.

How or why were tattoos banned in the first place? Korean culture has associated the practice with gangs and criminal activity. A Korean law passed in 1992 and upheld in 2022 previously punished nonmedical tattooing with fines up to $41,300 or lengthy jail time. South Korea was the only developed country with a tattoo ban still in place, according to Tattooing 101, an online education platform for tattoo artists. A similar law in Japan was overturned in 2020.

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