South Korean parliament votes to allow tattooists to work without a medical license

SEOUL: South Korea’s parliament passed a landmark bill Thursday that would allow people to give tattoos without having a medical license. The country currently allows only people with medical licenses to give tattoos, making it the only country in the industrialized world with such a restriction. Tens of thousands of tattooists have been working in the shadows in South Korea for decades. The National Assembly passed the Tattooist Act by a 195-0 vote. The Tattooist Act would introduce an official licensing system for tattooists and place them under state supervision.