Illicit Ink: Getting A Tattoo In South Korea

The first thing you should know about tattooing in South Korea is that it’s illegal. 

Okay, not entirely, but if someone who’s not a licensed medical practitioner will be inking you, then yes, that’s illegal under the Korean law, which is why most tattooists in the country take their craft under the public eye— some, a bit too literally.

Last year, I found myself standing in front of a hair salon in Mapo-gu. I wasn’t lost, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I was either. It was past lunchtime on a hot spring day, and I somehow wound up where I was, when I was looking for a tattoo studio.

For what must had been the third time, I checked the address that the tattoo artist I was supposed to meet gave me and then switched my screen to Naver Map. I was right where I should be, but I couldn’t seem to find the tattoo studio. 

I paced around the building once, then twice, and just as I was about to ask one of the stylists at the hair salon for some directions, I saw it—a familiar sign that appeared on one of the Instagram posts of my chosen tattoo artist. It was above some kind of an entryway, so I walked towards it. What I found was a stairwell that led to a basement—the tattoo studio.

My Tattooist

She goes by the name Git Bi, my tattoo artist. “Little bit weird name,” I remember her telling me when I asked how I should address her.

Like most Korean tattoo artists, she isn’t a licensed medical practitioner. She took up art at university and dabbles in various art-related and modeling jobs when she’s not inking skins. 

Instagram serves as her public portfolio, and she has about 65 thousand followers (me included) as of this writing. It’s also where she attracts potential clients and sets rules on how to book her.

Git Bi specialises in colourful hand-poked abstract tattoos and lettering. Her style is incredibly unique, I daresay—the kind you’ll see once and easily recognise as hers. She often plays with solid shapes, then combines them with uneven lines that make her designs look painstakingly raw and beautiful.

She also travels a lot and usually does guest work at tattoo shops around the world, where she could practice her art more freely. 

When I reached out to her in March 2018, I was beyond thrilled to receive a reply saying she could accommodate me on any of my chosen dates. We then talked about design pegs, her rates, and set my appointment. 

Everything was coursed through Kakao Talk—a widely-used messaging app in Korea—except my downpayment of 50,000KRW, which I sent to her PayPal account. And in May, I finally met her…in the basement that is the tattoo studio where she works. 

The Design

I didn’t see the design that will be inked on me until a few minutes before my actual tattoo session. Not even a single draft. I wondered if that was the norm, but I never questioned my tattooist. In fact, not knowing what I would be getting made me look forward to it even more. 

With the pegs I sent as her reference, Git Bi sketched three designs she thought would work for me. The first one was a line of wildflowers. The next was what looked like an explosion of polygons. And the last one, which I chose, was a mix of lines, squiggles, and hollow shapes. I decided to have it on my forearm.

Once the design transfer was applied on my skin, I was led in front of a mirror to see if the placement was fine with me. I remember smiling in excitement, seeing the purplish pattern on my arm. I loved it and Git Bi agreed that it looked cute, so we went ahead with the real deal—the hand-poking part.

Getting Inked

I wasn’t a tattoo virgin, so I was not really a stranger to the sensation of getting my skin stabbed multiple times for the sake of body art, especially since my first tattoo is a traditional batok, which I got at the age of 19 when I travelled to Kalinga for a paper I had to write. (It was a few years before the town of Buscalan emerged as a major tattoo destination.)

Getting a hand-poked tattoo, I realised, wasn’t so different from getting a batok. The tools were not primitive, sure, but the process was pretty much similar. 

Even for just a simple line, my tattooist had to repeatedly go over it to make it look more solid. And under the bright lamp that was positioned above my arm, I could see the tiny dots that each poke had made along with small beads of blood that surfaced on my skin. 

Was it painful? A bit.

I mean, c’mon, being punctured by a needle over and over again will never not be painful. But it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. I also read somewhere that getting a hand-poked tattoo is less invasive than getting a machine-made ink. That didn’t spare my sensitive skin from swelling, though. 

The entire session didn’t take too long, and in under an hour, I had a new tattoo that was just as fascinating as the story that came with it. 

Some Tips

If you’re planning on getting inked in South Korea, here are some things you might want to know:

Instagram Is The Place To Look

So you’ve decided to get inked in Korea—great! But where will you find a good artist when most of them operate underground? Easy. Look for them on Instagram! You can start by searching for #한국타투 (Korea tattoo) and then explore related tags. You’ll surely stumble upon an artist whose style is right up your alley. 

Research, Research, RESEARCH!

Once you have a shortlist of tattoo artists you’d like to work with, run a background check on them and look for reviews (if available). Do familiarise yourself, too, with their preferred method of tattooing (hand-poke or machine), since each has its own distinct quality. Some designs look better when made with a tattoo gun, while some would look nicer with a more organic touch that hand-poking creates. 

Look For As Many Design Pegs As Possible

…but limit them to a certain theme. If your tattooist asks for design pegs (and they certainly will), make sure to send them pictures of designs that you really, really want to see on your body.

They don’t necessarily have to look the same but they must exude a similar feel to give the tattoo artist a clear idea of what you have in mind. Moreover, don’t send in a ton of images and expect the artist to combine all the elements in a single tattoo. The less confusion you cause, the better. 

Follow The Booking Terms Set By Your Chosen Tattooist 

Tattoo artists indicate their booking terms on their profile’s description, so make sure to give that bit under their profile photo a good read.

If they say they will only respond via email, then email them. If they welcome messages via Kakao Talk, then download the app and shoot them an inquiry there. If they say don’t send a DM, then don’t pester them on Instagram. 

Communicate Simply

You’ll be doing business with someone who (most likely) doesn’t English as their first language. That said, be patient and try your best to communicate with them as simply as possible.

Prepare To Shell Out Some Good Money

Tattoos are not cheap, and if you want a nice ink, make sure you’re willing to spend money for it. The prices of tattoos in Korea highly vary, and the rates usually depend on the artist’s level of experience and expertise as well as the tools that they use. 

When I asked Git Bi how much her minimum rate was, she told me it’s 100,000KRW, regardless of the design. 

In case you’re wondering, I ended up paying a total of 120,000KRW for my ink—50,000KRW as my downpayment and the remaining balance of 70,000KRW was settled after my appointment. 

Don’t Take Aftercare Lightly

This goes to everyone getting inked, really. Follow the aftercare instructions your tattoo artist will give you!

I remember Git Bi telling me not to scratch or pick on my new ink. Based on my previous experience, healing tattoos itch like crazy, so I thought it would be a bit difficult. Fortunately, hand-poked tattoos don’t itch and scab as much (or not at all).

As for routines, she did not suggest any, but she did tell me not to visit a jjimjilbang (sauna) or go swimming until my tattoo was completely healed.  

Final Thoughts

Was the experience worth my time, effort, and money? 

I’d say yes.

It was a wonderfully intimate moment between me and my tattooist, and up to this day, I still remember the conversation we shared during my session. Moreover, it was truly a pleasure getting inked by someone so talented and so passionate about her craft. Perhaps, plain words will never describe how much I adore my tattoo and the extraordinary woman who gave it to me.

If you’re asking me if I’d like to get inked again in Korea, then I’ll give you another resounding yes. 

Truth be told, while the law on tattooing is not strictly enforced in the country—no, the local police don’t actively hunt down tattoo artists practicing their craft—the experience of getting a tattoo in Korea is all kinds of exciting.

After all, it’s not everyday you get to say you did something considered illegal and got away with it. *wink*

Here’s to more badass thrills in foreign lands!