What in the World - Why being a tattoo artist was illegal in South Korea for so long?

Download Why being a tattoo artist was illegal in South Korea for so long?

For decades, only licensed doctors were allowed to ink tattoos in South Korea and breaking the law could lead to heavy fines or jail. Now, that law has been overturned, but there’s still a lot of stigma around body art in Korea, and east Asia more generally.

Leehyun Choi, our BBC Reporter in Seoul, takes us through why and what is changing in South Korea.

Plus, we hear from a Korean tattoo artist in the UK (@doo__tattoo) and a Japanese tattoo artist in Osaka, Japan (@taiki__tattoo) about how they see stigma towards tattoos changing.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Lucy Davies
Video Producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Thursday, 16th July 2026.

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