Ejercicio de Habilidad Verbal — UNMSM

TEXTO 3

For years, South Korean tattooists have had to work in underground studios or windowless backrooms. They may soon be able to practice their craft in the open.

But the nation moved a step closer to destigmatizing body ink on Thursday when the National Assembly passed a bill that would give legal status to tattoo artists, allowing them to practice in the open instead of in windowless backrooms or basement studios. President Lee Jae Myung is expected to sign it into law in the coming weeks.

Under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, getting a tattoo was classified as a medical procedure, and only doctors were legally permitted to administer them. Violators of the law faced a fine of up to $36 000 or even jail time.

Tattoos have long been stigmatized in South Korea. During the Koryo dynasty, from 918 to 1392 A.D., people were forcibly given tattoos on their face or arms listing their crimes or branding them as slaves. In the 20th century, tattoos were adopted by criminal gangs.

Despite the ban, the South Korean tattoo industry has been robust: Recent government estimates put the tattooist population around 350 000 people, and more than a million people are estimated to have at least one tattoo. (It is not illegal to get a tattoo here; the law applies only to tattoo artists.)

Adapted from Yu J. (2025). After Centuries of Stigma, South Korea Moves to Legalize Tattoo Artists. New York Times.

What will happen once the new law (legalizing tattoo artists in South Korea) takes effect?