I had the pleasure of tattooing a friend that use to live around the corner from me when I was in the 9th grade. Saw him for the first time in over 20 years. Now he is part of the elite Beverly Hills special weapons unit. Great guy and cool career. We did a tattoo of two time pieces, two Maggie birds and Korean national flowers… All signifies something special for him. It was an honor to do this piece… I appreciate all the opportunity to do these special detailed pieces for my clients, friends and fans.

In Korea now, getting a tattoo is harder than you would think. It is not as simple as walking down the street and looking for an advertisement for tattoos. Most tattoo operations are underground and have to be looked up online or recommended by the locals who are interesting in helping you. In order to get a tattoo in Korea, the tattooist needs to have the same license as a doctor. In other words, according to medical law, the tattooist has to have a doctor's license. Up until a few years ago, tattoo parlors were considered illegal and could only be found by doing research online and going to a very suspicious spot just to get a tattoo. However, the view on tattoos is slowly becoming more lax. Many K-Pop stars are now getting tattoos and tattoos are now slowly seen as fashion statements rather than gang signs.

                          4minute's HyunA with her tattoo                                      

There is a generational gap in which younger Koreans (~20 years old) see tattoos as "cool" while the older Koreans still see them as a sign of being in the Korean mafia. Foreigners generally are not treated the same way and the native Koreans merely think that it's a "foreign" thing. Despite that, even foreigners have been known to be denied access in gyms and bathhouses because they had an exceptionally large tattoo on their body. If a foreigner visits Korea with a large tattoo, you can expect at least people staring at you and tiptoeing around you. So just some advice for anyone with tattoos wanting to visit Korea, be prepared to hide your tattoos. Especially if you are a woman, people will treat you differently and there have been cases where foreigners were kicked out of their hotel just for having large tattoos.

Korean Pop Star BoA with her tattoo.

http://myline-kakao.blogspot.com/2014/01/kpop-idols-with-tattoo_9837.html

            In Korea, tattoos are used in order to show an individual's affiliation to a certain crime syndicate or to just intimidate others who happen to see the tattoos. Members of organized crime often have tattoos of the pa (mob) they are in. When confronted by other mobs, they show the tattoo to identify themselves. The tattoo can also be used as a warning to civilians. Because of this, tattoos have often been considered taboo. There are young Koreans who get tattoos as well but tattoos are still seen in popular culture as being tell-tale signs that the person who has tattoos have to treated with wariness and mistrust, especially if the person is a native Korean. Nowadays, the top 3 gangs in South Korea are "Chil Sung Pa" (칠성파), or Seven Star, "Hwan Song Sung Pa" (환송성파), [the origin of the name is ambiguous; rumors has it 환,송,and 성 represent nicknames of the three founders of the gang], and "Ssang Yong Pa," or (Double Dragon).  

Example of Gang Tattoos

These gangs compete amongst each other continuously. The Seven Star mob tattoo is a pattern of seven stars on their chest. They are seen as number one mob and as being extremely secretive. The Hwan-Song-Sung-Pa signature mob tattoo is the Hanja character of "Son" (孫) the founders' family name, on any part of their body. Where they have it signifies rank.  The Double Dragon mob tattoo is the two dragons curling over each other on their upper arm. The Double Dragon mob is seen as being extremely violent and brutal. 

                                            Another Example

Besides these gang tattoos, there are a variety of tattoos that a person can get, ranging from mythological or real creatures to just small drawings. The Chinese Dragon is popular along with smaller animals such as Koi Fish and Bluebirds. 

                         In Korean ancient times, fisherman used tattoos to protect themselves from evil spirits that might attack them in the sea. As time progressed, tattoos changed from being used for spiritual protection to a symbol to be ostracized. In the 19th century, during the Joseon Dynasty, tattoos were seen as an affront to one's own body. Criminals and slaves were branded, a visible sign that they were "apart" from the rest of society. For example, some criminals were branded "thief" on their foreheads and slaves had the name of their owner on their forearm. It effectively made all those branded into outcasts and as a walking sign of shame.                             

                    The famous Chinese philosopher Confucius.

Stemming from this text from an old Confucian text, “our bodies—to every hair and bit of skin—are received from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them”, it was seen as disrespectable to both the individual and family to change one's body.  This Confucian principle of purity, in both body and spirit, is integral to Korean society even now. Bodies are seen as a gift from the ancestors and shouldn't be marred in any way being using tattoos. In the 20th century, Korean crime families used tattoos as a way to identify which gang you belonged to.

Example of a Korean gang tattoo. The panther symbolizes power and is meant to intimidate others.

   This practice was taken from crime groups in Japan. In that time and even with the current older Korean population, tattooed individuals are seen as either dangerous criminals or at best, merely untrustworthy. In other words, they weren't individuals that you brought home to meet your family. In those days, people with tattoos were denied access to the public bathhouse and swimming pool, due to fear that they would scare away the clientele. They could also be denied a job because they had a tattoo. Despite all of this, tattoos were never illegal. Socially, ethnic Koreans and foreigners with tattoos are frowned upon and stand out among their peers.   

  http://www.korea4expats.com/article-tattoos-Korea-society-attitude.html

http://www.frank151.com/news/the-secret-story-of-korean-tattoos-memento-interview.html