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Secret Ink

100 Women 2024

Once associated with gangsters, only doctors can legally ink tattoos in South Korea. We meet female tattoo artists who, in effect, work illegally and are left vulnerable to harassment and blackmail.

Once associated with gangsters, in South Korea tattoos still divide opinion. Whilst they have grown in popularity, only licensed doctors can officially ink skin. So in the thriving underground scene in Seoul, many artists are, in effect, working illegally. BBC 100 Women meets the women tattoo artists who are navigating this precarious work and those fighting to overturn the law so that artists no longer live in fear of being reported.

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25 minutes