South Korean tattoo aficionados seek changes in law
A campaign is emerging to transform what some say is this culture's outdated attitude on tattoos, long seen as the mark of hoodlums but now embraced by youth as a fashion statement.

Kang Un, executive director of the Korean Tattoo Assn., is hoping for regulation and legalization of the industry. (John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times /September 11, 2010)

Reporting from Seoul — 
Viyah Lee sports her five tattoos like hidden badges of rebellion: a small treble clef in her ear, her name fashioned in leopard spots on her left hip, discreet images on her wrist and ankles.

Now the 26-year-old former model is ready to emerge from the body art closet. Defying long-held prejudices and an edict decreeing that only physicians can tattoo, she's crafting her own skin design, which she plans to have etched on a prominent spot on her neck or shoulders.

"These images are an art form, not a medical procedure," she says. "Doctors aren't artists."
Lee is part of an emerging campaign to change what advocates call this conservative culture's outdated views on tattoos, long stigmatized as adornments for mobsters and hoodlums.

With the indelible designs being embraced by the nation's youths as a fashion statement, tattooists are calling for regulation and legalization of the industry and want lawmakers to amend a 2001 law that defines tattooing as a medical procedure.

"We're moving in the right direction," said Kang Un, 38, executive director of the Korean Tattoo Assn., who estimates that there are 22,000 illegal tattoo artists nationwide. "But there's still a huge gap between law and reality."

Only a few generations ago, tattoos were seen as a scarlet letter, with critics saying they violate Confucian teachings to preserve the body. There was even a curse: "You should be tattooed!" In the 1980s, the government arrested men with tattoos on the assumption they were involved in illegal activities, activists say.

South Korean law still labels men with large and obvious tattoos as unfit for the military, reasoning that they cause "abomination among fellow soldiers." Scores of tattoo artists have been arrested for providing would-be military conscripts a loophole to avoid the draft.

As a result, the tattoo industry lurks underground. Most parlors have unmarked fronts to avoid detection by police, who have raided the shops to confiscate tattoo machines and fine proprietors as much as $10,000.

Kang says tattoos got a public relations boost in a 2003 when, during a soccer match against Japan, South Korean soccer star Ahn Jung-hwan threw off his shirt after scoring a goal and revealed tattoos on both shoulders on national television.

"It showed that everyone with a tattoo wasn't a criminal or a thug," he said. "This guy is a sports legend."

But problems remain. Last month, a human rights court here ruled that a club for golfers didn't violate the rights of an applicant who had been denied membership because he sported numerous tattoos.

One scholar says that attitude changes are slow in coming.

"Tattoos need to be legalized to be truly accepted in Korea," said Cho Hyun-soul, a Seoul National University professor and author of the Korean-language book "The History of the Tattoo."

After conducting his research, Cho says, he now wants a tattoo, "though I haven't decided on what."

For Viyah Lee, acceptance has also come slowly: Her parents balked at her first tattoo: an ankle a rendering of two feathers with the words "Give God the Glory."

"My father didn't say anything, which meant he was really mad," she recalled. "My mother told me to go to the hospital to have it removed. I told her that would cost more than the tattoo."

Not long after Lee became a tattoo artist, her father bought her $500 worth of ink.

"We were against her choice at first, but have come to support her," said her mother, Park Jong-shil, a lecturer on Korean cultural assets. "She has passion for it, and we appreciate her work now."

Lee now collaborates with clients to design a lasting work of art. Her advice: Don't follow the crowd with something seen on a starlet or soccer player.

"Your tattoo should have a special meaning, a hint to the person that's inside," she said. "It's something you wear for life."

john.glionna@latimes.com

Ethan Kim in The Times' Seoul Bureau contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

Welcome to the Tatjacket suplemental information page. This page includes additional links and information regarding tattoo cover up.

1-26-2010

By CEO Howard Horwitz.

In the short time we have been around and without any advertising, We have sold thousands of pairs of these tattoo cover up sleeves in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Belgium, Chile, Japan, Poland, The Netherlands, Scotland, Italy, and Germany.  We also now have several retailers throughout the US and one in the UK.  

Our customers are nurses and doctors, waiters, hotel employees, cops, firefighters, EMT’s, school employees, office workers, mechanics, delivery drivers, soldiers and airmen, amusement park employees, and on and on. We even had one customer tell us that he uses the tattoo cover up sleeves for Sunday church services! 

We have arm sleeves in 2 colors and 2 sizes. There is a light generic flesh tone similar to the color used on adhesive bandages or the BD brand "Ace" bandage. the sleeves also come in black. We are releasing a 3rd color, a more olive or darker complexion flesh tone. It is in production and will be available in 2010.

The tattoo cover up sleeves also come in a half sleeve version called a "Halfjacket”. This sleeve is 9" long and can be used to cover the upper arm or the lower leg. We are in production on a lower arm (forearm only) tattoo cover up with no particularly catchy name. They will be available sometime in 2010 and will be in all 3 colors. 
 
We have appeared in Law Enforcement trade Magazines such as Law and Order Magazine and Law Enforcement Products News. We have also appeared in the Tattoo magazine Skin Deep.

To see more information about our product, click the link here: Tatjacket tattoo cover up home page

Why the product works: The highlights      

• Tatjacket sleeves were designed to cover the areas where exposed tattoos are frequently located.

• Tatjacket sleeves are made of a material similar to the brand names "Coolmax" or "Dryfit". It is a 10% Spandex and 90% Nylon blend. This gives it stretch and flexibility, but maintains a matte finish. (other similar fabric blends have a shiny appearance). The seams are internal and lay flat giving the sleeve a cleaner look.

• It is designed to transfer moisture to the surface for evaporation thus keeping you cooler. The fabric will not stretch out or break down over time. It is machine washable and should last for years.

• Tatjacket is easy to put on and take off. During a break, you can tug them off and stuff them in a pocket. You probably could not get away with that wearing a long sleeve shirt.

• The sleeves are sold in pairs to cover both arms. If you only need 1 arm covered, there is always a clean one available while 1 is in the wash.

• Tatjacket sleeves were lab tested at the International UV Testing Labs in Auburn, Alabama. They were rated at UPF 50, which is similar to the SPF 50 rating commonly associated with sun screens. They are an excellent form of protection from UV rays. They are worn by customers who have no tattoos but just want protection from the sun. They are also worn by customers with tattoos that don’t have work policy issues but just want to protect the tattoos from the sun.

• Because they stretch and give, our 2 basic sizes fit most of the population. Of the thousands that we have sold, we have only had 2 customers return the sleeves because they were not small enough.

• We have a 100%, absolute money-back guarantee and we rarely get taken up on it. They can be returned for a full refund for any or no reason. 

For more on our tattoo cover-up sleeves, click here