'You can have tattoos all over your face and still be an angel': Inside South Korea’s underground tattoo culture

euronews (in English)

'You can have tattoos all over your face and still be an angel': Inside South Korea’s underground tattoo culture  South Korean tattoo culture, long marred by negative associations with prisons or gang activity, has been de facto illegal for over 30 years. A recent law passed now means this underground culture can finally come into the light.   READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/31/you-can-have-tattoos-all-over-your-face-and-still-be-an-angel-inside-south-koreas-undergro  Spark your senses, wake your wonder. Euronews Culture seeks to show creativity in action and inspire our audience to explore the world through the five senses. Start your journey through the best of Europe's arts, gastronomy, traditions and high-end craftsmanship.

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00:01Angels, a documentary by Hisham Tuli Idrisi and Nancy Wong Musisa,

00:05put the secret lives of South Korean tattoo artists on full display

00:09as they worked in the shadows in the name of their art.

00:12It tells the stories of those who dared to defy both the stigma and the law

00:16and who eventually campaigned for their country to recognize their work.

00:30More than that, they risk social stigma including from their families.

00:39Tattoos in South Korea are often associated with medical risks or gang activity.

00:43In Korea, China and Japan, criminals were once punished for having their faces tattooed,

00:48a stigma that continues into the modern day.

00:51I'm a big fan of tattoos.

00:56There are times I have been a lot of tattoos.

00:59But I'm so sorry.

01:00When I was a mother and I lived with my mother,

01:03I was like,

01:05my mother and my father would look at me and look at me.

01:09My mother and my mother would look at me and look at me.

01:12I was like, I'm a bit worried about my mother.

01:16My mother is my mother.

01:18My mother and my mother are my mother.

01:21Following lengthy campaigns including by a tattooist union,

01:24the law finally changed last month,

01:26bringing an end to the instability faced by people in the sector.

01:29Non-medical professionals who make up a vast majority of the sector

01:32will now be able to be licensed and gain formal recognition for their work.

01:36The process to full recognition, however, will be lengthy

01:39as the law will come into force in two years.

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