Oriental medicine practitioners demand right to perform tattoos

The Association of Korean Medicine (AKOM), a group of oriental medicine practitioners, is strongly protesting the “Tattoo Artist Act” (draft legislation) ahead of its submission to the National Assembly plenary session.

It argues that oriental medicine practitioners should also be granted the authority to perform tattoo procedures.

“We strongly condemn the Tattoo Artist Act, scheduled for submission to the National Assembly plenary session, for intentionally excluding Korean medicine practitioners and including poison pill clauses designed solely for specific professions,” the association said in a statement on Tuesday. “We vehemently demand immediate correction and the inclusion of Korean medicine practitioners' tattooing rights in the bill.”

The core of the Tattoo Artist Act is to introduce a licensing system to allow non-medical professionals to perform tattooing, while the government manages and regulates their scope of practice. If the Tattoo Artist Act passes the plenary session scheduled for next Thursday, non-medical tattooing will be legalized for the first time in 33 years since the Supreme Court ruling.

Although the current Medical Service Act does not contain specific provisions related to tattoos, Supreme Court precedents have classified tattooing as a medical procedure, thereby restricting it to licensed physicians. The new Tattoo Artist Act explicitly limits medical practitioners authorized to perform tattoos to licensed tattoo artists and “physicians.”

This has sparked backlash from oriental medicine practitioners.

According to the AKOM, the original Tattoo Artist Act, passed by the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, prohibited tattooing without a tattoo artist's license. However, during its passage through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, it was amended to permit tattooing only as a medical act performed by doctors, as defined under Article 2, Paragraph 2, Item 1 of the Medical Service Act.

Medical practitioners, as defined under Article 2 of the Medical Service Act, include doctors, dentists, Korean medicine doctors, nurses, and others. Subsection 2(1) specifically refers only to physicians.

“While we agree with the intent to protect public health and rights by legalizing tattooing, allowing only physicians among medical professionals while excluding Korean medicine doctors is a deceptive and unconstitutional act of discrimination,” the AKOM said. “If the National Assembly denies the qualifications of Korean medicine doctors through legislation, it constitutes blatant discrimination against medical professionals.”

It continued, “The bill, professionally deliberated and submitted by the Health and Welfare Committee regarding the Tattoo Artist Act, was narrowed down by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to permit only physicians, excluding Korean medicine doctors. This is a clear abuse exceeding the authority of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, triggering conflict within the medical community and seriously distorting legislation by holding the public hostage.”

The association added, “Korean medicine practitioners are specialists who have undergone extensive training and practice in specialized procedures that stimulate or penetrate the human skin, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping. Excluding Korean medicine practitioners despite their already performing various medical procedures, including scalp tattooing using medical devices like lasers, is an outrage that defies common sense, rationality, and even reality.”

The AKOM reiterated its firm opposition to the Tattoo Artist Act. The association also declared it would engage in an all-out struggle.

“Including Korean medicine doctors on the list of those permitted to perform tattooing is a matter of common sense and guarantees the rights of the people,” it said. “All 30,000 Korean medicine doctors define the Tattoo Artist Act as unfair legislation that destroys the rights of the people and the dignity of medical professionals. We will resist and fight with all our might until this unjust discrimination is corrected.”