In South Korea, tattoos are illegal, but it hasn't stopped artists from creating - and creating some truly beautiful work. Tattoos have become relatively mainstream and millennials (though I hate the term) have widely adopted tattoos as commonplace. It's striking to see the cultural differences between East Asia and the western world, perception around tattoos being just one of them. Tattoos are particularly interesting because of the influence Asian artists have had on the culture and ethos of the art despite the widespread suppression of it. I'd love to hear a perspective on why it's evolved to be so different - and I do suspect it has to do with organized crime playing a large part (i.e. the Yakuza and the Triads).
I would guess it is because to East asian authorities, you would only be getting a tattoo if you were being initiated in a gang or wanted to engage in outlaw activities, so stopping tattoos is indirectly stopping "outlawry" and thus preserving "morality" in society.
