12 Korean Tattoo Artists To Follow On Instagram For Inspiration

By Karmen on 16 Oct 2020

Digital Editor

Has severe RBF but is fairly jolly and carefree on the inside. Degree of life satisfaction is heavily influenced by food.

Thinking of getting a new tattoo? Have a look at South Korean tattoo artists! Creativity in Korea is thriving not just in fashion, makeup and music but also in tattoos.

While we're not able to travel there to get inked at the moment, we can always get ideas and inspiration from them.

Keep reading to check out 12 amazing Korean tattoo Instagram accounts you should follow!

#1 @tattoojune

Photo from @tattoojune via Instagram

Raised in Busan, South Korea, June Jung now has her own tattoo and painting studio in Los Angeles.

She's known for her masterful watercolour and illustrative tattoos of botanical and natural subjects like flowers and animals. Her work has a sense of movement to it with soft yet eye-catching colours.

#2 @oozy_tattoo

Photo from @oozy_tattoo via Instagram

Woo Jin Choi, who also goes by the name Oozy, is a Seoul based tattoo artist whose work reflects his background in animation. His intricately detailed tattoos range from realism to Japanese anime-style, often with a macabre touch. He uses fine black and grey lines as well visually arresting colours.

#3 @ovenlee.tattoo

Photo from @ovenlee.tattoo via Instagram

Ovenlee's tattoos have a comforting cosy cottagecore vibe to it, created using rough linework and lively colours that almost gives them a delicate embroidered look.

Her work revolves around relaxing imagery like natural landscapes, fairies and flowers as well as Disney and Studio Ghibli characters.

#4 @tattooist_sion

Photo from @tattooist_sion via Instagram

Inspired by norigae (노리개), an adornment worn with the Korean traditional hanbok, tattoo artist Sion Kwak incorporates their intense colours and traditional patterns to her work.

Many of her tattoos have lotuses, magnolia flowers and cranes with intricate knots, a beaded charm and tassels that look like they're fluttering in the wind.

#5 @ilwolhongdam

Photo from @ilwolhongdam via Instagram

Hongdam 홍담 creates incredibly intricate, fine-lined tattoos that look like they belong on canvas and displayed at an art gallery.

His tattoos ranges from flowers and animals to more unusual ones like a festival of the Joseon Dynasty era in Korea.

#6 @lit_tattoo_

Photo from @lit_tattoo_ via Instagram

One of the tattoo artists in Studio by Sol, Lit creates tattoos that usually feature his trademark blue and yellow colours which makes them stand out.

If you're looking for a vibrant tattoo with a striking colour combination, his Instagram account is the place to take inspiration from.

#7 @tattooer_nana

Photo from @tattooer_nana via Instagram

Nana's tattoos have a neo traditional style with pronounced lines and beautiful bold colours. Her work also has a lovely pencil drawn quality to it.

A great plus to this style of tattoo is its longevity as bold designs and thick lines tend to look just as badass once they eventually fade over the decades.

#8 @goodmorningtown

Photo from @goodmorningtown via Instagram

Goodmorning's moniker was inspired by his imaginary friends who live in said town. Many of his tattoos are of cute cartoon animals, presumably the imaginary friends, in a playful and minimalist style.

Along with his signature Booger Bear, his tattoos also feature other animals like dinosaurs, pigs, rabbits as well as human characters, flowers and food items.

#9 @pitta_kkm

Photo from @pitta_kkm via Instagram

Pitta's tattoo has a unique and striking look thanks to its unusual combination of traditional Korean aesthetics and modern fine art style.

He often uses traditional Korean Obangsaek colours of white, black, blue, yellow and red to create tattoos that pops against the skin.

#10 @dora.tattoo

Photo from @dora.tattoo via Instagram

Seoul based tattooist Dora creates delicate pastel tattoos that have a subtle look against the skin.

With fine, rough lines and light colours, her tattoos are reminiscent of coloured pencil drawings.

#11 @_tan_tattoo

Photo from @_tan_tattoo via Instagram

TAN TATTOO is known for their tiny and colourful hand poked, aka stick n poke, tattoos that have a distinctive and intricate dotted look.

This type of tattoo tends to heal faster than traditional tattoos, although they tend to be more painful and take a longer time to complete.

#12 @Woo Loves You

Photo from @Woo Loves You via Instagram

Tattooing in a unique old-school cartoon style with thick lines, Woo is known for creating adorable animals contorted in unusual positions.

From far, a tattoo might look like a simple heart, skull or locket. But go a little closer and you'll see that it's a cat, tiger or monkey bent in a funny position - love it!

Bonus: @soltattoo, @playground_tat2 and @tattooist_banul are all popular Korean tattoo Instagram accounts you should follow!