President Lee Jae-myung on the 21st presided over a Cabinet meeting and reviewed and approved a promulgation plan for the Tattooist Act that legalizes tattoo procedures by non-physicians. Under current law, tattooing is classified as medical practice and only physicians can perform it, but in the actual market most people receive semi-permanent makeup such as eyebrow and lip tattoos or scalp tattoos from so-called "tattooists," fueling ongoing controversy over illegality. After a two-year grace period, when the law takes effect, non-physicians will be able to perform tattoo procedures legally after passing a national exam and obtaining a license.
Lee presided over the Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office that afternoon and reviewed and approved eight agenda items, including the Tattooist Act with these provisions. The Tattooist Act that passed the Cabinet cleared the National Assembly's plenary session last month. The law 1) expands eligibility for performing tattoo procedures from existing medical personnel to "persons licensed as tattooists by the state," 2) allows the opening of tattoo parlors with registration approval from mayors, county heads, or district heads, and 3) prohibits tattoo removal procedures.
The law will take effect in 2027, two years after promulgation. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the responsible ministry, plans to include specific guidelines related to the national tattooist exam in the enforcement decree during the remaining period.