00:01Angels, a documentary by Hisham Tuli Idrisi and Nancy Wong Musisa,
00:05put the secret lives of South Korean tattoo artists on full display
00:09as they worked in the shadows in the name of their art.
00:12It tells the stories of those who dared to defy both the stigma and the law
00:16and who eventually campaigned for their country to recognize their work.
00:30More than that, they risk social stigma including from their families.
00:39Tattoos in South Korea are often associated with medical risks or gang activity.
00:43In Korea, China and Japan, criminals were once punished for having their faces tattooed,
00:48a stigma that continues into the modern day.
00:51I'm a big fan of tattoos.
00:56There are times I have been a lot of tattoos.
00:59But I'm so sorry.
01:00When I was a mother and I lived with my mother,
01:03I was like,
01:05my mother and my father would look at me and look at me.
01:09My mother and my mother would look at me and look at me.
01:12I was like, I'm a bit worried about my mother.
01:16My mother is my mother.
01:18My mother and my mother are my mother.
01:21Following lengthy campaigns including by a tattooist union,
01:24the law finally changed last month,
01:26bringing an end to the instability faced by people in the sector.
01:29Non-medical professionals who make up a vast majority of the sector
01:32will now be able to be licensed and gain formal recognition for their work.
01:36The process to full recognition, however, will be lengthy
01:39as the law will come into force in two years.
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