HISTORY OF TATTOO

Tattooing is one of the oldest forms of body alteration, as history shows it has been taking place since the early days in Greece (Park). "The word ‘tattoo’ comes from the Polynesian word ‘tatau’, which means ‘artistic’ or ‘outstanding’ (Park)." There is a similar history of tattoos in many Asian countries, this includes Japan, China, and of course, Korea. Most of these countries have a history with tattoos, and they are considered criminal by most people in society (MacFarlane,). These nations have varying laws and regulations regarding the practice and obtaining of tattoos (MacFarlane,).

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Munshin (문신) is the Korean word for tattoo, which translates to "letters engraved on the body". It is a word that is most commonly used with gangsters, as they were the people who were normally seen with tattoos (Park). Tattoos first appeared during the Samhan, or Three Kingdoms Age which was 57 BC to 668 CE, and were most commonly used as a form of punishment (MacFarlane,). Later on, large scale tattoos were used by people in gangs to intimidate civilians and stand out from others (MacFarlane,).

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In Korea, not only are there a number of laws on tattoos, but the people who practice tatooing as well. There are hundreds of tattoo parlors in Seoul, but nearly all of them are open illegally, because only medical doctors can provide tattoos legally (Park). 

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Older generations in Korea disapprove of the spread of tattoos amongst the younger people, yet the number of people getting tattoos is only increasing (Park). It is possible that this is due to a generational gap, and the view on tattoos is becoming widely accepted in Korean society (Park).