”Eyebrow tattooing by a person without a medical license” - South Korea's first public trial finds a guilty verdict

In the first-ever public trial held nationwide to determine the legality of eyebrow tattooing by people without medical licenses in South Korea, a court found the defendant guilty.
On the 14th, the 12th Criminal Division of the Daegu District Court issued a statement on the indictment of beauty industry worker A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Special Measures Act on the Crackdown on Health Crimes.
In a public participation trial, the jury accepted his opinion and sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of 1 million won.
From September 2020 to May 2023, Mr. A used tattoo equipment and pigments at a beauty salon in Daegu.
The defendant was put on trial on suspicion of providing eyebrow tattoo services to customers and earning about 50 million won in profits.
The prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence and a 2 million won fine. Of the seven jurors on the jury, four found Mr. A guilty, while the remaining three found him not guilty.
The court said, "We find the indictment guilty based on the majority opinion of the jury," but added, "We took into consideration the fact that he has no prior criminal history."
Meanwhile, in South Korea, ever since a Supreme Court ruling in 1992 that determined tattooing to be a medical procedure, tattooing by those without a medical license has been illegally punished.
However, between August and December of last year, some lower courts, such as the Cheongju and Busan District Courts, issued rulings that contradicted this.