Overview

• The National Assembly passed the Tattooist Act by 195 votes with seven abstentions, creating an official license for tattooists under government supervision.
• The law takes effect two years after presidential promulgation, with temporary registration allowing current practitioners to keep working while they obtain licenses.
• The statute covers both body art and semi-permanent makeup, requires hygiene and safety training, and mandates detailed records of each procedure, including pigments used and body area.
• Tattoo removal by nonmedical professionals remains prohibited, and tattooing minors without parental consent is banned.
• The reform reverses a regime rooted in a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that criminalized nonmedical tattooing with penalties up to five years in prison or 50 million won in fines, and President Lee Jae Myung is expected to promulgate the act.