After 33 years underground, tattoo artists celebrate a landmark law as prosecutions continue
Outside Seoul’s northern district court on Friday, Kim Do-yoon stepped into the cold air after another hearing in his appeal.
His crime: tattooing a satisfied client.
“I didn’t come with high expectations today,” says Kim, known professionally as Doy.
Just weeks earlier, South Korea’s parliament passed the tattooist act, ending 33 years of tattooing being restricted to doctors. The change will take effect in 2027, when a national licensing system is introduced. Until then, tattooing without a medical licence continues to be technically illegal.
