Tattoos are a form of expression and a means to hold dear to one's heart something that carries a lot of meaning to a specific person. It can be something to remember someone by or a constant reminder of a life motto. Either way, they're beautiful and deserve appreciation.
However, the Korean society's image of a clean idol sometimes frowns upon tattoos. Even though it has come a long way now and tattoos are much more "acceptable", they are still censored when appearing on television to avoid any controversy from arising due to the artists' personal choices and tastes.
Here are some idols that still went with their heart and got the tattoos that they wanted.
1. BTS JUNGKOOK.
One of the most recent topics of discussion regarding idols with tattoos was surrounding BTS maknae Jungkook. Jungkook has a whole sleeve of tattoos filled with artwork that is meaningful to him. While he hasn't show off the entire sleeve yet, shots of him wearing half sleeved shirts and of course the one clip of him during the ON music video show half of his tattoos as clear as day. He has a whopping 18 tattoos that fans have guessed so far: a tiger flower (his birth month flower) a quote saying "please love me" which apparently is the meaning of the flower, a skeleton rock fist, BTS debut date (0613), Truth/youth, a purple heart, a woozy emoji on his finger, the ARMY logo, A R M Y on his knuckes and J on his ring finger (signifying both BTS' fandom name as well as the the names of the members - A(V upside down), R (RM), MY(Min Yoongi), JM (Jimin), J(Jin, Jungkook, J-Hope) and the + signs signifying their tight bond, "rather be dead than cool", three bold black stripes signifying the Korean flag and meaning justice, a crown on his finger, and finally as assumed red eye which can be seen on Episode 2 of In The Soop.
2. WINNER MINO
It is a commonly known fact that MINO is inherently an artistically inclined person. His paintings are incredible and so are his tattoos and he never tries to hide them or cover them up as they're often on full display on his personal Instagram account. He's even well known to get more tattoos whenever he goes on break from promotional activities.
Fans went as far as to create tattoo maps for their idol. MINO has even revealed that he uses the weather icon tattoos on his collarbone to indicate actual weather by sometimes putting a red circle around the relevant icon.
3. BLOCK B ZICO
Zico is another idol that is fully tatted up on his arms and visibly so. One of the most meaningful tattoo out of those he has is perhaps a yellow ribbon tattoo signifying the Sewol Ferry Disaster where over 300 people died because of the ferry sinking. One of them was even a BLOCK B fan. Zico keeps this tattoo as a constant reminder to be better. He also has a portrait of his mother inked on his chest. When BLOCK B received their first win, he got the date tattood on him as well.
4. LEE HYORI
Lee Hyori is always known for being experimental and brave with her aesthetics. Starting from chokers to septum piercings to tattoos, she boldly flaunts them all. Besides being a K-Pop legend and diva, she's also a nature activist which justifies the tattoo on her right arm that says, "Walk Lightly in the Spring, Mother Earth is Pregnant" adorned with two flowers. She also has a turtle and a love heart near her hip, two crosses on her wrist, 3 symbols on her arm including the sun. the star and the moon and "LOVE" at the back of her neck. We are sure she has more amazing tattoos that fans haven't seen yet.
5. HyunA
The rebellious badass of K-Pop that shines with her personality as well as talents on stage is actually a real softie deep inside. HyunA has a tattoo on her upper back that reads, "my mother is the heart that keeps me alove" showing her love, affection and dedication towards her mother. It is adorable to see these spunky and strong idols have hearts of gold.
6. EXO CHANYEOL
No list about idols with tattoos is complete without mentioning EXO's happy vitamin Chanyeol. He has several tattoos that are incredibly well made and all hold special meanings to him. He has an abstract minimalist artwork of a guitar on his arm representing his love for music. He has LOEY written on the middle finger of his left hand which is actually Yeol written backwards. Yeol is a part of his name Chanyeol which means "good fruit".
Another artistic tattoo he has is that of a monkey representing the Year of the Monkey which is when he was born. People born in the Year of the Monkey are known to be active, friendly, sensitive and good with their hands. Sounds like Chanyeol exactly! The tattoo of an arrow on his arm is also a sign of his zodiac, Sagittarius.
Finally, the "L-1485" tattoo near his right wrist is a symbol of his love and dedication to the EXO-Ls. The numbers represent the date that their fandom was established - August 5, 2014.
