Illegal tattoo artists indicted for inking up gangsters

Twelve unlicensed tattoo artists based in the southwestern city of Gwangju were indicted on Monday for inking over 2,000 people, including 32 minors, amid a crackdown on organized crime in the city.

Full-body tattoos on the chests and backs of suspected criminal gang members apprehended by Gwangju law enforcement in November last year were traced back to 12 local unlicensed tattoo artists, who were indicted on Monday as part of a larger crackdown on organized crime in the city. [GWANGJU DISTRICT PROSECUTORS OFFICE]

Twelve unlicensed tattoo artists based in the southwestern city of Gwangju were indicted on Monday for inking gang-style tattoos on over 2,000 people, including 32 minors, amid a crackdown on organized crime in the city.

The tattoo artists, whose names were withheld by the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, provided their services to at least 128 suspected members of criminal gangs over a nine-year period from October 2014 to February this year, prosecutors said.

Despite the increasing popularity of tattoos among the young, tattooing remains classified as a medical practice under Korean law and can only be carried out by practitioners with a medical license. Unlicensed tattooists can face at least two years in prison and up to 10 million won ($7,600) in fines.

Prosecutors turned their attention to the unlicensed tattoo artists after they apprehended inked mobsters from rival gangs who engaged in a nighttime brawl in Gwangju’s Buk District in November last year.

Six minors were among the 38 suspected gang members detained by law enforcement who broke up the fight. Twelve were sentenced to two-year prison terms in May, while 16 received suspended sentences.

After noting that several of the suspects had full-body tattoos characteristic of Japanese criminal gangs, also known as yakuza, prosecutors honed in on local tattoo artists suspected of inking the mobsters in order to track down other gang members who may have also used their services.

According to Gwangju prosecutors, the tattoo artists advertised their services mainly on their social media accounts.

The tattoo artists charged between 2 million won ($1,570) and 5 million won per person for the typical full-trunk tattoo favored by local gangs, while a full-body yakuza-style tattoo could cost up to 10 million won, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors alleged that the 12 tattoo artists earnt a total of 2.5 billion won through their illegal practices and laundered the proceeds through real estate, high-end imported vehicles and luxury watches, which are now in the process of being confiscated.

Investigators also found the tattoo artists had multiple mobsters’ contact details saved on their mobile phones, along with messages indicating they maintained close communication with gang members outside of their ink appointments, partly to attract new clients.

Using the contact information they retrieved from the unlicensed tattoo artists, investigators were also able to identify new members of local gangs and indicted them on suspicion of violating Article 4 of the Punishment of Violence Act, which targets organized crime.

At least 32 minors got mob-style tattoos in anticipation of joining one of the city’s gangs, and four of them went through with their gang induction, prosecutors noted.

Several teenagers who got inked suffered side effects such as dermatitis, while others have already been sentenced to stays in juvenile detention centers after being caught committing blackmail and other crimes to raise money for their tattoos, according to prosecutors.

Some of the tattooists who face prosecution have also been charged with illegal possession of oxycodone fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

In a statement released Monday, the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office vowed local law enforcement will “safeguard the safety” of the city’s residents by “strictly punishing those who commit illegal acts and seek to reap economic benefits in collusion with violent criminal organizations.”

While negative attitudes toward tattoos, especially small ones, have relaxed in Korea in recent years, individuals with full-body tattoos are still suspected of involvement in organized crime, and displaying “fearful” body ink can be subject to a fine of 50,000 won under Section 19 of Article 3 of the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act.

The Korean military also barred men with full-body tattoos from active duty until February 2021, consigning them to alternative public service roles instead.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]