Marked for life: South Korea's tattoo artists seek legalisation

South Korean tattooist Doy counts Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and members of K-Pop band EXO among his celebrity clients, but his delicate, detailed designs could land him in prison.

Now he is leading a campaign for the abolition of a law that reflects tattoos' long-marginalised status in South Korea, where they were once associated almost exclusively with organised crime.

While tattooing itself is not illegal, it is classed as a medical procedure and may only be carried out by a fully qualified doctor - with the law setting a minimum two-year prison sentence for violators, although judges can impose lighter penalties.

Doy, whose real name is Kim Do-yoon, says the situation leaves the country's 20,000-odd tattooists vulnerable to prosecution and random raids - as well as blackmail by malicious or dissatisfied clients.

Earlier this year, he established the country's first tattoo artists' union and will soon ask the Constitutional Court to legalise tattooing by non-doctors. But after media reports featuring his union activities, someone - who has not been publicly identified - filed a criminal complaint and Doy now faces a police inquiry.

According to the Korea Tattoo Association - a separate organisation to Doy's union - at least a million people have inked their skin in the country and the illicit but growing industry is worth about 200 billion won ($170 million) a year. | Tattoo artist Seo Uri.

But despite their newfound popularity, tattoos can still carry negative connotations, especially at workplaces in South Korea, with public broadcasters often blurring them out. | Tattoo artist Seo Uri receives a tattoo from Kim Chan-jik at a studio in Seoul.

Medical doctors strongly oppose legalising tattooing, saying doing so would "endanger" Koreans. Getting inked by non-doctors could lead to "a serious infection or allergic reactions", an official at the Korea Medical Association said.