The government is moving to measure the size and operations of South Korea's tattoo industry, one year before a new tattoo practitioner law takes effect.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 22nd it will conduct a nationwide survey of tattoo shops. The survey was designed to build a reasonable regulatory foundation ahead of the law's implementation next year. The data collected will serve as a key basis for setting up a national licensing examination and license system for tattoo practitioners, as well as for hygiene and safety policies.
The survey targets owners of tattoo shops or practitioners not affiliated with any shop. Where a shop exists, only the owner needs to respond once. The survey is conducted online and takes about three minutes to complete.
The questionnaire covers general shop information, including when the business opened, registered business category, types of procedures offered, whether the owner runs a side business and the form of operation; staffing, including the number of practitioners, personnel by employment type and membership in associations or groups; procedure volume, including the monthly average number of procedures and average procedure time; and the use of materials and the volume of waste generated.
Anyone operating a tattoo shop or performing tattoo procedures can take part by accessing the online survey link, which is also available on the ministry's website.
Non-Medical Tattooing Becomes Legal From October Next Year
The tattoo practitioner law, built around legalizing tattooing — including tattoos and semi-permanent makeup — by people without medical licenses and creating a national qualification system, takes effect on Oct. 29 next year.
Since a 1992 Supreme Court ruling classified tattooing as a medical procedure, non-medical practitioners had been punished for violating the Medical Service Act. But critics had long argued that enforcement was out of step with reality, since most tattoo procedures are for cosmetic purposes and medical professionals rarely perform them. The government enacted the tattoo practitioner law on Oct. 28 last year, legalizing non-medical tattooing after 33 years.
The law sets out a licensing system for tattoo practitioners, hygiene and safety obligations for shop operators, and a ban on tattooing minors without a guardian's consent. It also includes a special provision allowing shops to register on a temporary basis for up to two years after the law takes effect, even before practitioners obtain licenses.
Inside the Standard Guidelines for Tattoo Procedures
The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently drew up and distributed standard guidelines for tattoo procedures. The guidelines spell out the definition of tattooing by dividing it into pictorial and cosmetic categories — pictorial tattoos, which etch images or lettering onto the body, and cosmetic tattoos such as semi-permanent makeup. They also clarify terms related to facilities, tools, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization, providing detailed definitions for 55 terms used in the text.
Tattoo shops are divided into waiting areas, procedure areas and cleaning and disinfection areas. Each area may be separated by partitions as well as walls. Equipment is to be arranged with traffic flow in mind, and the guidelines set hygiene management rules for each area.
Instruments used in tattoo procedures must in principle be sterilized and single-use, and must be discarded immediately after use. Where instruments must be reused, cleaning and disinfection are required procedures, with sterilization listed as a recommendation.
All consumables used in procedures must also be single-use, and reuse is prohibited. Pigment cups and gauze in particular are classified as high-risk consumables and must be sterilized and single-use. Practitioners must follow rules on how and when to put on and remove personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks and aprons, and must wear sterile gloves during procedures.
The guidelines present sample forms, including a user consent form to be signed before a procedure and a tattoo record sheet, so that shops can complete and manage them. A user health status form is to be used to determine whether a procedure can go ahead. In cases of a history of bloodborne infectious diseases such as hepatitis B or C, shops are to confirm a medical opinion through consultation or examination at a medical institution before deciding whether to proceed. The guidelines also explain in detail rules that are set out in the law but easily overlooked, so that practitioners can grasp the obligations and prohibited acts under the tattoo practitioner law.
Negative perceptions of tattoos, meanwhile, remain entrenched, suggesting it will take time for tattoo culture to take root. According to a 2024 Hankook Research survey, 66% of respondents said they think of tattoos or people with tattoos as "delinquent or frightening." More than 60% also said people in jobs with a public role, such as schoolteachers and day care teachers, should not display tattoos. Attention is now on whether the tattoo practitioner law will shift public attitudes toward non-medical tattooing.