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【6.7】

6.7 每日一篇 | 熊猫外刊精读

South Korean tattooists：Art in the dark

Korean tattoo artists are lauded abroad and locked up at home

【 1 】The unmarked grey door in central Seoul could lead to just another office in
South Korea’s capital. Yet behind it Kim Do-yoon creates intricateartwork that has
garnered commissions from K-pop stars, chaebol bosses and Hollywood royalty,
including Brad Pitt. Better known as Doy, the tattooist is careful not
to advertise the presence of his studio. For each of his artworks is also a crime.

【 2 】 Worth some 200bn won ($151m) a year according to the

Korea tattoo Association (KTA), South Korea’s tattoo industry is small
but culturallysignificant. Spring brings blooms of colour as
short sleeves and skimpy tops reveal the inked-up arms of the country’s hipsters.
Outside South Korea, the reputation of its artists has grown alongside the taste for
the country’s other cultural exports. A tattoo from a South Korean artist confers a
similar level of cool as a taste for South Korean music or cinema.

【 3 】 Yet its artists are forced to work underground. In 1992 a South Korean court
ruled that tattooing creates health risks and ought to require a medical licence.
Tattooists without that qualification can receive a fine of 50m won ($38,000) or up to
five years in prison. Doy reckons a couple are locked up every year. The ban also
means that tattooists are vulnerable to blackmail, exploitation or
sexual assault because they cannot report perpetrators for fear of incrimination.

【4】Young politicians have tried to drag the industry into the mainstream. Ryu Ho-
jeong, a 30-year-old MP, introduced a bill in 2021 that would improve working

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conditions and allow tattooists to report their income. Doy has taken a
more aggressive approach, frequently appearing in court for the past four years to
appeal a conviction and draw attention to the plight of less famous colleagues.

【 5 】South Korean society is increasingly siding with Doy and Ms Ryu. The elderly
still disapprove of tattoos, considering them signs of criminality. Yet over half of
South Koreans as a whole and more than four-fifths of those in their 20s

believe qualified tattooists should be allowed to ink up customers. Far from “a

deviant act”, for young people a tattoo is just another consumer product, says Ha Ji-
soo of Seoul National University.

【 6 】 Unsurprisingly, the tattooists’ main adversaries are doctors, who claim it

is risky to let non-doctors tattoo. They stand to lose a lucrativesideline: in 2022 the
market for semi-permanent tattoos, used mostly for cosmetic procedures, was worth
as much as 1.8trn won ($1.4bn), reckons the KTA.

【 7 】The South Korean government, usually keen to promote its culture, has so far
been hesitant to upset this powerful lobby. Yet that may be
changing: apparently aware of tattooists as a potential source of revenue, the
government has already assigned them a tax code.

① 短语

1.原文：Yet its artists are forced to work underground.

词典：be forced to do sth. 被迫：指在某种压力或无法抗拒的情况下，不得不做某事。

例句：Many enterprises will be forced to close.

许多企业将被迫关闭。

2.原文：tattooing creates health risks and ought to require a medical licence

词典：ought to 应该：表示建议、责任或义务，用于表示某事是正确的或适当的。

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例句：You ought to give up smoking.

你应该戒烟。

3.原文：The ban also means that tattooists are vulnerable to blackmail

词典：be vulnerable to 易受......的影响：指某人或某物容易受到某种不利因素的影响。

例句：Their tanks would be vulnerable to attack from the air.

他们的坦克将易受空袭。

4.原文：and draw attention to the plight of less famous colleagues.

词典：draw attention to 吸引对……的注意力

例 句 ： Each artist has their own individual style but all artists share a common aim: to draw

attention to the pollution in our cities.

尽管每个艺术家都有自己独特的风格，但所有艺术家都有一个共同的目标：让人们

关注我们城市的污染问题。

5.原文：The elderly still disapprove of tattoos, considering them signs of criminality.

词典：disapprove of 不赞成：表示对某人或某事的行为、观点等表示不同意或不满。

例句：Most people disapprove of such violent tactics.

多数人不赞同这类暴力手段。

6.原文 The South Korean government, usually keen to promote its culture

词典：be keen to do sth. 渴望做某事：非常热衷于或热切期望做某事。

例句：Most managements are keen to avoid strikes.

大多数经营者都很希望避免罢工的发生。

7.原文：apparently aware of tattooists as a potential source of revenue

词典：aware of 意识到：知道或注意到某事物的存在或发生。

例句：She is aware of her own failings.

她了解自己的弱点。

② 长难句

原文：Yet behind it Kim Do-yoon creates intricate artwork that has garnered commissions from

K-pop stars, chaebol bosses and Hollywood royalty, including Brad Pitt.

分析：在这个句子当中， Kim Do-yoon 是句子的主语，creates 是谓词，宾语是 intricate

artwork。That 引导定语从句，修饰宾语 intricate artwork，起到修饰限定的作用，从句中

that 为主语，has garnered 为谓语，而 commissions .是宾语，from K-pop stars 是介词短语作

定语，including 是现在分词做状语，表示其中包含布拉德·皮特。

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译文：然而，在这扇门背后，金度道允（Kim Do-yoon）创作了精美复杂的艺术品，获得

了韩国流行歌手、财阀老板和好莱坞大拿们的青睐，其中就包括布拉德 ·皮特（ Brad

Pitt）。

原文：Ryu Ho-jeong, a 30-year-old MP, introduced a bill in 2021 that would improve working

conditions and allow tattooists to report their income.

分析：在这个句子当中，句子的主语是 Ryu Ho-jeong，谓语部分是 introduced，宾语是 a

bill。a 30-year-old MP 是主语 Ryu Ho-jeong 的同位语，表示解释说明；that 引导定语从句，

代 指 的 是 宾 语 a bill ， 在 从 句 中 做 主 语 ， 而 从 句 中 存 在 两 个 谓 语 动 作 ， 一 个 是 would

improve，另一个是 allow，对应的宾语部分分别是 working conditions 和 tattooists，to report

their income 是宾语补足语。

译文：30 岁的国会议员柳浩珍（Ryu Ho-jeong）于 2021 年提出了一项法案，该法案旨在改

善纹身师的工作条件，并允许纹身师汇报收入。

③ 写作技巧

They stand to lose a lucrative sideline: in 2022 the market for semi-permanent tattoos, used mostly

for cosmetic procedures, was worth as much as 1.8trn won ($1.4bn), reckons the KTA.

因为他们将失去一项利润丰厚的副业：韩国纹身协会预估，2022 年，主要用于美容手术的

半永久纹身市场价值高达 1.8 万亿韩元（14 亿美元）。

在原文的结构当中，as much as 表示“和……一样多”，as...as 意为“和……一样”，表示

同级的比较。使用时要注意第一个 as 为副词，第二个 as 为连词。其基本结构为：as+ adj./

adv. +as。

例句：
This story is as funny as that one.

这个故事和那个一样滑稽可笑。
Temperatures can fluctuate by as much as 10 degrees.

温差可达 10 度之多。

④ 背景知识

韩国的纹身师中，绝大多数其实都是非法的。这是因为韩国法律规定纹身是医疗行

为，只有医疗人员才可以做纹身师。医疗人员指的是有医师资格证的人员，所以没有医师

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资格证的人均属于非法从医。韩国大法院也认为，纹身的过程中会可能会出现感染等副作

用，所以将纹身定性为医疗行为。根据“医疗法”的规定，非法从医的人最高处以 5 年有

期徒刑或最高 5000 万韩元的罚款。

⑤ 段落大意

【1】背景引入：韩国的纹身事业是一项黑暗中的艺术

【2】纹身地位：韩国纹身和电影以及音乐享有同样的炫酷地位

【3】围追堵截：无医疗执照的纹身师面临重重困境

【4】困境突破：年轻政客以及纹身师努力用自己的方式为纹身正名

【5】社会支持：韩国社会越来越支持纹身师

【6】反对势力：医生为主要反对人士，因为自己的蛋糕会被瓜分

【7】政府方案：态度摇摆不定，但是也意识到纹身潜在的税收价值

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