Overview

• The National Assembly approved the Tattooist Act in a 195-0 vote, with seven abstentions.
• The law will take effect after a two-year grace period that starts once President Lee Jae Myung formally proclaims it.
• The act ends a regime rooted in a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that limited tattooing to people with medical licenses.
• Non-medical artists previously faced up to five years in prison and fines of 50 million won, pushing the trade underground.
• Health authorities back the shift, citing surveys showing only a small fraction of tattoos are done in hospitals and requiring hygiene and safety standards.