GOYANG, South Korea (AP) — As a popular tattoo artist in South Korea, Song Jaemin is fully booked weeks in advance and highly respected by his clients, some of whom come from abroad to see him. But each time Song inks someone, he commits a crime since it is illegal to give tattoos without a medical license in South Korea.

“I began this even though I knew it was illegal, but I was confident that legal restrictions would be eased and things would change,” Song, 28, said in a recent interview at his studio in Goyang near Seoul. “Many tattoo artists think we are not doing illegal things and there is just no law for us.”

Song’s prediction could soon become reality. South Korea’s National Assembly is expected to pass a landmark bill soon that would allow non-medical personnel to give tattoos.

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