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By Lee Hae-rin

More than 1,000 tattooists and ink lovers worldwide expressed their support in an online campaign for legalization of tattooing.

The tattooist labor union and its leader Kim Do-yoon called, July 30, for like-minded supporters to join their online campaign on Aug. 1 to condemn the country's Constitutional Court for its ruling last month.

On July 21, the court upheld its previous rulings that defined tattooing as a "medical practice" and ruled against Kim for practicing without a medical license. Kim, a renowned tattooist who has inked several celebrities including Brad Pitt, had been fined 5 million won ($3,800).

The top court said tattooing is a medical practice even if it does not prevent or treat diseases because it could endanger public health if performed by a non-licensed practitioner. It could cause potential side effects including inflammation and skin disease when the ink is inserted with a needle in human skin and non-licensed practitioners cannot ensure safety at the same level as medical personnel, it viewed.

The ruling shows Korea has stricter tattooing regulations than other countries by requiring the practitioners to have a medical license.

The U.K. mandates a complete apprenticeship in tattoo and hygiene courses and licensing from a local council. France does not have an official tattooist diploma but recognizes it as a free and independent profession and requires practitioners to undergo training on occupational safety and hygiene. They are to register the certificate to a regional health agency, which receives reports on their activities regularly and monitors hygiene standards. In the U.S., tattoo licensing requirements vary by state, but generally include hundreds of hours of training with an approved tattooist, a written exam and skills assessments on techniques and healthcare concepts.

Kim and his lawyer protested that Korea is the last developed country that still defines tattooing as a medical practice and criminalizes the practice if done by practitioners without a medical license.

The market has thrived underground and an estimated 250,000 tattooists in the country now perform their trade without a medical license. They could all be subject to punishment including up to two years in jail or fines up to 10 million won ($7,462) under the country's Medical Service Act.

On Monday, at least 1,000 supporters worldwide who disagreed with the court ruling joined the online campaign. The participants included internationally renowned tattoo artists such as Eva (New York), Moganji (Berlin), Amanda Wachob (Los Angeles), Soheil Aflaki (Iran) and Edit (Israel), as well as tattoo magazines and studios.

An illustration of a four-foot walking primate wearing a Korean national flag carrying a gavel is seen in this image distributed by the country's tattooist labor union to condemn the court rulings against tattoo legalization. Over 1,000 tattooists and ink lovers shared the image online on Monday, the group said. Courtesy of Tattoo Union

As requested by the union, they shared on social media an image featuring a satirical illustration ― a primate with a gavel wearing Korea's national flag on its left arm, which is meant to represent the top court judges. The text on the image reads, "Pray for the evolution of Korean Constitutional Justices" in Korean and English.

The campaign aimed to raise global awareness of the artists' legal battle here and to encourage judges of the High and Supreme Court to "avoid making an error of citing the Constitutional Court's ruling in the upcoming trial (in October)," Kim said.

Meanwhile, some Korean users found the campaign's analogy inappropriate.

"I fully support this movement, but is it ethically acceptable to degrade others who have different thoughts by comparing them with a four-foot walking monkey? Was it really necessary?" a Korean user wrote in response to the union's posting. Some others also wrote in Korean that they also disagree that tattooing is a medical practice, but feel uncomfortable with the union's way of communication.

However, Kim said the union's exact intention was to cause controversy.

"The response to our refined and mature reactions so far has been absurd rulings, like the one by the Constitutional Court in July," Kim said, explaining that the union hopes more people, including the judges of the Constitutional Court, are angered by this campaign.

"Seven of our union members have been sentenced to jail terms for performing their trade, and no one is talking about it," Kim said. "We need people to feel uncomfortable and care about the issue."