AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We're surrounded these days by the products of Korea, K-Pop on playlists, demon hunters on movie screens, even Korean barbecue on dinner plates. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports on another cultural export that's gone global, one that was only recently illegal in South Korea.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Tattoo artist Kim Do Yoon, who goes by the artistic name of Doy, prepares for a customer in his Seoul studio. He inks images of people and animals that seem to float above the skin with shadows beneath them. He tattoos fine threads that drape over arms and shoulders. Some images are shaded with dots like grainy photographs. Doy has inked celebrities, including actor Brad Pitt. Like other Korean artists, Doy's fame has spread via social media.
KIM DO YOON: (Through interpreter) When Korean tattoo artists flocked to Instagram, they created a big new wave in the global tattoo industry. But we didn't get to benefit from it. We could have developed the culture further and enjoyed it, but we missed the opportunity.
(SOUNDBITE OF TATTOO NEEDLE BUZZING)
KUHN: Doy uses light touches of his needle to tattoo a blue flower on the right forearm of client Eric Sohn. Sohn has a tattoo of his pet dog on his left arm.
ERIC SOHN: (Through interpreter) As I grew older, I thought about what I wanted to do, what had given me the most joy. And it was getting a tattoo, but it was difficult to search only for something that's personally meaningful. Then I saw Doy's artworks, and this design caught my eye.
KUHN: Doy founded a tattooist union and his campaigned to legalize tattooing in South Korea. For the past 33 years, tattooing by nonmedical personnel was punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine up to the equivalent of about $35,000. South Korea's parliament changed that last month. The new Tattooist Act will take effect after a two-year grace period. The act says that the tattooist must be trained, pass an exam and get a license. Several years ago, Doy himself was fined after a video of him tattooing a famous actress went viral and someone reported him to the police. But Doy is happy to get the free publicity, and he's pleased with the new law.
DO YOON: (Through interpreter) I still randomly burst into laughter because I'm so, so happy.
KUHN: Not everyone shares his glee. Korean Medical Association, or KMA, policy director Lee Jae-Man told a press briefing in August that legalizing non medical tattoos could threaten more than people's lives and health.
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LEE JAE-MAN: (Through interpreter) The popularization of tattoos can encourage impulsive tattooing among minors, driven by curiosity or trends, which can lead to educational and social problems.
KUHN: But an estimated 70% of tattoos in South Korea are not artistic. They're cosmetic. And that, Doy argues, is why the KMA opposes nonmedical tattoos.
DO YOON: (Through interpreter) Dermatologists and plastic surgeons have made a fortune from eyeline and eyebrow tattoos. The KMA can't help but protect their interests by saying as a group that tattooing is a medical practice.
KUHN: But the stigma around tattoos is not just about medical risk. In premodern Korea, Japan and China, criminals were punished by being tattooed on their faces. Modern-day gangsters get inked to show identity and loyalty to their gang.
(SOUNDBITE OF TATTOO NEEDLE BUZZING)
KUHN: Doy continues his work. He says that 70% of his clients are women. They tend to like small, delicate tattoos with personal meaning. Doy says each of his artworks is a collaboration with an inspiration shared by inker and inked. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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