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South Korean tattoo artist Doy counts Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and members of the K-Pop organization EXO among his prominent clients, yet their delicate and detailed designs can land him in jail.
Now he is campaigning for the abolition of a law that reflects the marginalization of tattoos in South Korea, where they were once linked almost exclusively to organized crime.
While the tattoo itself is not illegal, it is considered a medical procedure and can only be done through a qualified physician; With the law that establishes a minimum penalty of two years for offenders, judges can impose lighter penalties.
But artists say the law has failed to keep up, as tattoos are not unusual in recent years, championed by K-pop stars, athletes and others with tough fans.
Doy’s career illustrates the contradictions: one of the most prominent tattoo artists in the country, he has almost 500,000 fans on Instagram.
He declines to say what he wrote in Pitt last year, citing consumer confidentiality, but is known nationally and globally for his unique designs, from a bird to croissants to a gymnast. screen jumping and the complex use of color.
Even so, there is no signal in his studio in central Seoul.
“At home after tattooing Brad Pitt, there are no words to describe how proud he feels,” the 40-year-old told AFP.
“But from the moment you arrive at Incheon International Airport, you have to place the tattoo kit in your bag. “
Doy, called the genuine Kim Do-yoon, says the scenario leaves the country’s 20,000 tattoo artists at the hands of random lawsuits and raids, as well as blackmail by malicious or disgruntled customers.
Earlier this year, he established the country’s first tattooists union and will soon petition the Constitutional Court to legalize tattoos through non-medical people.
But after the media reported on his union activities, who has not been publicly known, filed a criminal complaint and Doy now faces a police investigation.
“I think it’s bad” that they investigate it, he said, he felt that “he had to do something. “
“If you leave it as is, nothing will change. “
– Repeat offenders –
According to the Korea Tattoo Association, a separate organization from the Doy union, at least a million more people have gotten their skin dirty across the country and the illicit but developing industry is worth around two hundred billion won. ($ 170 million) a year.
It indicates that another 200,000 estheticians who apply permanent makeup to their clients’ tattoo techniques also abide by the existing rules.
But despite their newfound popularity, tattoos can still carry negative connotations, especially in workplaces in South Korea, where they are confused by public broadcasters.
Doctors strongly oppose the legalization of tattoos as it would “endanger” Koreans.
Getting the ink done by non-doctors can lead to “serious infections or allergic reactions,” said an official with the Korean Medical Association.
Doy says her union plans to expand the fitness rules for tattoo artists, with medical professionals being their cause.
He has tattooed at least 10,000 other people in his 14-year career, but says he was never prosecuted or blackmailed until July.
However, other tattoo artists had lost their source of income after being convicted, and he knows artists who have committed suicide as a result.
“It’s very devastating,” he said. “In a way, they lost the life they were painting. “
Some have agreed to be repeat offenders: Kim Goang-seok, 54, says that when he got a tattoo 25 years ago, “80% of my clients were gangsters and I, several times, were big tigers and dragons. “
He has been sentenced 3 times for inking and has already been jailed for 8 months, he says he will never stop.
“I’ve felt uncomfortable doing something illegal, and I still feel uncomfortable,” said Kim, who has been tattooing for more than two decades in his “secret”, unmarked studio in the southern city of Ulsan.
“But that’s the only thing I’m smart about. I accepted it when I first sentenced. “
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