In several countries across the earth, getting a tattoo is as easy as doing shopping in a mall. All of the things needed to get a tattoo could be done under half an hour and you have nothing to worry about afterwards. But unfortunately, in South Korea, tattoo is still considered taboo and is considered illegal if the procedure wasn't done by medical professionals.
Most Korean actors hide their tattoos or cover it with bandages if they are making an appearance in the television which is also the reason why most Korean actors and K-pop idols don't have any tattoos or have tattoos but the tattoos were placed in the areas of the body which are not visible. The taboo didn't stop those actors who wanted to have a tattoo.
Below, we will talk about five K-drama actresses and their tattoos you probably haven't seen yet.
Gong Hyo Jin
Gong Hyo Jin who is known for her role in the film Crush and Blush (2008) as well as dramas Sang Doo! Let's Go to School (2003), Thank You (2007), Pasta (2010), The Greatest Love (2011), Master's Sun (2013), It's Okay, That's Love (2014), The Producers (2015), Don't Dare to Dream (2016) and When the Camellia Blooms (2019) is one of the few Korean actresses who show off her tattoos.
She has two small tattoos on her hands: A peace sign on her left index finger, and the world "love" on her ring finger. But her most visible tattoo is on her left shoulder, which has a symbol of a cross and a ribbon with the words "laurel, lubere, and money" written across them.
Other celebrities would probably cover this big tattoo but Gong Hyo Jin is proud with her tattoos and show it in her magazine covers for Harper's Bazaar Korea, Marie Claire Korea, and W Korea.
Han Ye Seul
Han Ye Seul who starred in dramas Couple or Trouble (2006), Tazza (2008), and Birth of a Beauty (2014),have more than 10 tattoos and each of then have special meanings for the Birth of a Beauty actress.
The large snake on her right shoulder represents her desire to shed her skin like the animal and leave her past behind. She showed off her tattoos on the March 2021 cover of Allure Korea, where she looked absolutely stunning in a black SueComma Bonnie dress.
Han Ye Seul also has several smaller tattoos, like the triangle on her wrist that signifies the Holy Trinity and the phrase "be kind" on her ring finger. That said, her most popular tattoo is that of three swords just below her sternum, which signifies for strength, courage, and protection.
Bae Suzy
Bae Suzy who starred in dramas Gu Family Book (2013), Uncontrollably Fond (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Vagabond (2019) and Start Up (2020) has two tattoos, but they're so small so she doesn't worry on how to keep it hidden. The one that's often spotted is the little heart at the bottom of her left finger, and this is the only tattoo that the public knew she had for years.
Suzy's second tattoo was unveiled only recently during one of her campaign shoots for beauty brand Lancome. One photo from the set showed the back of Suzy's neck, which bears a mini cross stuck into a small heart.
Suzy has yet to talk about the meanings of her tattoos or if they have meanings at all but one thing is for sure, she has a pretty tattoo that suits her well.
Jung Ryeo Won
Like Gong Hyo Jin and Han Ye Seul, Australia-raised Korean actress Jung Ryeo Won who starred in the drama roles in Two Faces of My Girlfriend, Castaway on the Moon, and History of a Salaryman, is confident about flaunting her tattoos in public.
Many of her tattoos are on her arms, and she revealed the symbolisms behind some of them. On her Instagram stories, she said that the word "epignosis" written on her tricep means "what your head knows, the mind & spirit knows."
Meanwhile, the phrase "I do what I am" inked on her forearm stands for her view on individuality and identity: "You are not defined by what you do—you do what you are."
Han So Hee
Before her global popularity in her role in The World of the Married as Yeo Da Kyung, she was active in modelling.She decorated different brands and magazines displaying her two big arms tattoos, but it's often speculated that she had removed all of them the moment she decided to pursue acting.
Meanwhile, Han So Hee was known for her roles in the dramas Money Flower (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018),and Abyss (2019).
In 2021, she had two dramas entitled Nevertheless and the Netflix-produced My Name.
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