[Reporter’s Notebook] Gangster Tattoos: Between Artistic Freedom and the Public Good

Effective Action Needed From Government and Frontline Law Enforcement
Calling for Another "Kim Sangcheol"

Back in 2011, when I was a reporter assigned to the Daegu Seobu Police Station, I spent many nights with detectives on duty, immersing myself in the atmosphere of the scene.

One day, I stopped by a local sauna and encountered several individuals whose bodies were covered with tattoos.

Among them, there was a clear divide: some quietly minded their own business, while others deliberately wielded their tattoos as a means of creating unease.

I witnessed acts and words in public spaces—where both children and adults were present—that were so unpleasant I had to ask them to tone down their behavior. Instead, they responded provocatively and picked a fight.

The next day, I relayed this incident at the police station to Kim Sangcheol, then chief of the Seobu Police Station.

Chief Kim, upon hearing the story, took prompt action. The police launched a concentrated crackdown, imposing fines and issuing penalty notices against those who intentionally displayed tattoos in a way that created discomfort in public places.

The individuals who were pushed out of Seobu district moved toward the neighboring Buk-gu district, but police there immediately followed suit, upholding the tranquility of daily life.

Lately, I have again come across cases in places such as Bongdeok-dong in Nam-gu, Jung-dong and Beomeo-dong in Suseong-gu, Naedang-dong in Seo-gu, and Eumnae-dong in Buk-gu, where groups openly display tattoos and create public anxiety among citizens.

This is a line we must draw clearly. The "tattoo culture" that is the subject of current social debate is fundamentally different from the conduct of certain groups that flaunt tattoos in public places to instill fear in others.

The essence of the problem is not art itself, but the violence and rudeness that disrupt community etiquette.

Today, tattoos have become established as both a fashion statement and a sophisticated form of body art.

Korean tattooists are recognized worldwide for their delicate skills and outstanding abilities.

However, behind these cultural achievements, old legal standards still remain firmly in place.

For years, tattooing by non-medical professionals was punished as a violation of medical laws, but the enactment of a new law on tattoo artists has opened a path toward institutional recognition. Even so, tattoos remain largely unregulated and in the shadows, limiting the industry's potential for legitimate growth and failing to fully dispel the stigma that tattoos are the domain of criminal or anti-social groups.

To bring tattooing into the spotlight as a respectable cultural industry, there is an urgent need for legalization and systematic regulation at a national level.

We must recognize tattooists as professional artists and enshrine hygiene and safety standards in law to prevent illegal procedures and enable genuine advancement.

Engraving images on one's body and expressing individuality is a fundamental right in modern society and deserves to be respected as a form of artistic freedom.

However, when this freedom of expression is weaponized to intimidate or frighten others, society must intervene for the sake of communal safety.

Just as the Daegu Seobu Police Station in 2011 strictly cracked down on those creating unease in saunas, today, reckless behaviors that disrupt public peace should be rigorously regulated.

Thus, the government and frontline law enforcement agencies need to respond with greater attention and effectiveness.

Deliberate public display of tattoos that causes fear among citizens can be punished under current minor offenses law with a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention, or summary punishment, and the penalty notice carries a fine of 50,000 won.

In practice, however, minor fines that have remained at the tens of thousands of won level for decades remain the norm, which is far from sufficient.

Such lenient punishments are inadequate to effectively curb anti-social behaviors that threaten the peace of the community.

On the government side, there is a need to review the effectiveness of related laws and penalty standards and to consider necessary institutional improvements.

There is also a call for frontline law enforcement agencies to respond more proactively—within the framework of the law—to actions in public places that threaten or disturb unspecified members of the public.

As in the decisive action by Daegu Seobu Police Station in 2011, what is needed now is strong and active leadership at the scene—another "Kim Sangcheol"—to protect the peaceful daily lives of citizens.

Dae Gu Daeyuk, Chief Reporter of Daegu Gyeongbuk News Bureau

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.