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Sims green, sims010@naver.com

 

The Occupation code ‘42299’ is the official number assigned by the Korean government in 2015 when it selected ‘tattooist’ as one of the promising new jobs. However, the activities of tattooists are currently illegal in Korea. For this reason, DOY, one of the famous tattoo artists in Korea, has been working for many years to legalize tattooing. 

▲ Works by Inktewall Crews, Coutesy of Inktewall Crews

He is a professional tattooist who went on to college and graduate school to study the field of art, overcoming the high competition rate in the 'art entrance exam' in Korea, where education is higher than any other country in the world. “I think that Korean artists or tattooists who majored in art are excellent in their art activities and can embody textures and colors because they studied in a fierce competition like me,” he said.

He started his career as an industrial designer. However, he felt that he was not being paid enough for his artistic abilities. So he tried to find another job, and the answer he found was a tattoo artist. He was able to start tattooing without difficulty after learning simple theories and machine operation.

▲ Courtesy of DOY

However, shortly after opening, he learned that tattoo work is not legally allowed in Korea. In particular, he was in great confusion one day when he heard that another tattoo artist had committed suicide.

“At that time, I thought I had to find a way to work as a tattoo artist without legal trouble. After a while, I gathered several colleagues and formed a trade union, Tattoo Union, and have been fighting for the legalization of tattoos ever since. These activities are also about finding my identity as a tattooist like me,” he said.

▲ Courtesy of DOYAccording to his explanation, the first time tattoos were illegal in Korea was in 1992 when the court judged that “tattoos are medical practices.” Also last year, the Constitutional Court of Korea did not accept the petitioner's request to recognize tattoos as legal, insisting on the "freedom to choose one's occupation" and the "right to determine one's own body."

DOY explained that tattoos are already recognized as a culture and a fashion in Korea, unlike the court's ruling on tattoos. He added that currently in Korea, people who get tattoos are not punished, but people who have tattoos are punished. 

▲ Courtesy of DOY

In fact, according to the Korea Tattoo Association in 2021, “The number of tattoo and semi-permanent treatment practitioners active in Korea is 250,000, and the number of people who have been treated by them exceeds ‘13 million’. The market size is approximately $1 billion.

DOY is a fairly well-known tattoo artist both domestically and internationally. He behaves like a warrior for the 'fight' on the outside, but in reality he is as gentle on the inside as he is on the outside.

He continued his tattoo story. “Pointillism, which is the basis of tattoos, requires a delicate and sophisticated aesthetic sense. Since ink is injected into the skin to draw a permanent picture, it is necessary to know the characteristics of each part of the skin and the characteristics of the ink. In particular, the ability to use a very good needle is an important factor in determining the completeness of a work.”

▲ Courtesy of DOY, Photo by SimsHe said that many of the world's top tattoo artists are Koreans because Koreans are naturally talented with their hands and put in a lot of effort.

Various foreign media such as 'US INKED Magazine - 25 REASONS TO GO TO KOREA FOR YOUR NEXT TATOO APPOINTMENT, THE TRAVEL - 10 Korean Tattoo Artists You Should Visit During Your Next Trip To Seoul' are reporting the stories of Korean tattoo artists in various aspects.▲ Courtesy of DOYAt the end of the interview, he added that if he is looking forward to the legalization of tattoos in Korea as soon as possible, then not only he but all tattoo artists in Korea will be able to concentrate more on their work and produce better works.