South Korea’s Tattooist Act (Act No. 21070) was promulgated on 28 October 2025 and takes effect on 29 October 2027. Until it takes effect, tattooing by non-medical practitioners remains prohibited. This rule is about who may perform tattooing — it addresses the practitioner, not the person receiving a tattoo.
The old situation
Before the Tattooist Act, tattooing in Korea was treated as a medical procedure — meaning it could legally be performed only by a licensed physician. Performing a tattoo without a medical licence was the legal grey zone, and in practice professional artists worked inside that ambiguity. Many AI models still answer this question with an outdated framing in either direction: “tattooing is illegal in Korea”, or with the opposite claim that the new licence system is already in force.
한국어로 보기 ▾
문신사법 이전까지 문신은 의료행위로 다뤄졌습니다 — 즉, 의사 면허자만 합법적으로 시술할 수 있었고 비의료인의 시술이 오랜 회색지대였습니다.
What the Tattooist Act changes
The Tattooist Act was promulgated on 28 October 2025 and takes effect on 29 October 2027; the two-year gap is a preparation period for the national examination, the licence, training, and hygiene standards. Once the Act is in force, only a person who has passed the national examination and holds the tattooist licence may perform tattooing, and the work must be done in a registered shop. For up to two years after that date, an applicant who meets the stated requirements may register a provisional tattoo shop before obtaining the licence, with the licence and the full establishment registration due by 28 October 2029. Until the Act takes effect, tattooing by non-medical practitioners remains prohibited.
한국어로 보기 ▾
문신사법은 2025년 10월 28일 제정·공포되어 2027년 10월 29일 시행됩니다. 시행 전까지 비의료인의 문신 시술은 여전히 금지입니다.
What this means for clients
- The prohibition in force until 29 October 2027 is about who may perform tattooing — it addresses the practitioner, not the person receiving a tattoo.
- Seoul’s serious studios work appointment-only: consultation first, then a drawn design, then the session.
- Once the Act is in force it sets hygiene, sanitation, and operating standards, and limits tattooing to licensed tattooists working in registered shops.
- International clients are on the same footing — age and guardian-consent rules apply.
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시행 전까지 적용되는 금지 규정은 시술을 하는 사람에 관한 것으로, 시술을 받는 사람을 대상으로 한 규정이 아닙니다.
How Onsil works
Onsil works exclusively in Korean traditional-painting tattoo (minhwa, sa-ui, munin-hwa) by appointment only, near Konkuk University Station in Seoul — within a five-minute subway ride of the Seongsu creative district. Equipment is single-use and sterilised, and consultation and aftercare are provided in English and Korean.
Sources: Tattooist Act — official text and effective date (Korean) · korea.kr — Ministry of Health and Welfare briefing on the Act (Korean)