South Korean Court Upholds Tattoo Ban
2022-04-05
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Tattoo artists in South Korea will continue to risk arrest if they violate a long-standing ban on their work.
2Last week, the highest court in the country ruled in support of the restriction.
3Only medical professionals may legally tattoo people in South Korea.
4A tattoo is a permanent image on skin.
5Tattoo artists use needles filled with ink to mark the body with words or a design.
6Some people consider the practice an important form of expression.
7The Constitutional Court voted 5-to-4 last week to keep the law in place.
8It said the tattooing is a medical process that carries risks.
9Tattoo artists do not have the training to provide acceptable medical care to the people, the court said.
10Violators of the law risk serious punishment, including fines of about $40,000 and two years in prison.
11Tattoo artist groups in South Korea began pushing for reform of the law in 2017.
12The ban is based on one that Japan established in 1992.
13However, that country has since repealed the law.
14Kim Do-yoon leads an alliance of about 650 tattoo artists seeking reform.
15The group condemned the court's decision as a rejection of modern time.
16"The court is still walking on four feet when all citizens walk upright," Kim said.
17The popular tattooist is better known as Doy.
18Tattoos in South Korea are becoming more popular.
19While they are rarely seen on television, some South Korean celebrities, including actors and musicians show their tattoos on social media.
20Public opinion research in South Korea finds that most people support an end to the tattoo art restrictions.
21Tattooists and their supporters say the law is too strong.
22Kim Sho-yun is the president of the Korea Tattoo Federation.
23She called the court's decision "nonsense."
24She spoke to reporters gathered at the courthouse in Seoul.
25She wondered why the court still considered tattooing a medical treatment when, in her words, "doctors can't and don't do that?"
26Even South Korea's president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol said he supported permitting tattoos that can be used to make hair seem darker.
27I'm Dan Friedell.
1Tattoo artists in South Korea will continue to risk arrest if they violate a long-standing ban on their work. Last week, the highest court in the country ruled in support of the restriction. Only medical professionals may legally tattoo people in South Korea. 2A tattoo is a permanent image on skin. Tattoo artists use needles filled with ink to mark the body with words or a design. Some people consider the practice an important form of expression. 3The Constitutional Court voted 5-to-4 last week to keep the law in place. It said the tattooing is a medical process that carries risks. Tattoo artists do not have the training to provide acceptable medical care to the people, the court said. 4Violators of the law risk serious punishment, including fines of about $40,000 and two years in prison. 5Tattoo artist groups in South Korea began pushing for reform of the law in 2017. The ban is based on one that Japan established in 1992. However, that country has since repealed the law. 6Kim Do-yoon leads an alliance of about 650 tattoo artists seeking reform. The group condemned the court's decision as a rejection of modern time. 7"The court is still walking on four feet when all citizens walk upright," Kim said. The popular tattooist is better known as Doy. 8Tattoos in South Korea are becoming more popular. While they are rarely seen on television, some South Korean celebrities, including actors and musicians show their tattoos on social media. 9Public opinion research in South Korea finds that most people support an end to the tattoo art restrictions. 10Tattooists and their supporters say the law is too strong. 11Kim Sho-yun is the president of the Korea Tattoo Federation. She called the court's decision "nonsense." She spoke to reporters gathered at the courthouse in Seoul. 12She wondered why the court still considered tattooing a medical treatment when, in her words, "doctors can't and don't do that?" 13Even South Korea's president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol said he supported permitting tattoos that can be used to make hair seem darker. 14I'm Dan Friedell. 15Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 16Do you have a tattoo? Are you thinking of getting one? Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 17Words in This Story 18ink -n. colored liquid used for writing or printing 19practice - n. the action of doing something or using something 20celebrity - n. a person who is famous