Meet Junghyun Kim of Los Angeles

JungHyun, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a Buddhist family, with my grandfather serving as a Jogye Order missionary. Since childhood, visiting temples was a natural part of my life. My uncle was a Korean painter, and these deep-rooted influences naturally led me to pursue a career as an artist. Attending an arts high school and later studying fine arts in university, I envisioned [..] - Mar 24, 2025

Traditional Contexts

Blooming lotus mandalas, angular lattice patterns, and whirling smoke clouds; snakes, dragons, and demons colored in brilliant tones—this is the work of Seoul-based tattoo artist Jung-hyun Kim, better known at PittaKKM. His art is a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Korean art styles and Buddhist art, mainly those inspired by temples [...] - Oct 4, 2022 

Tattoo artist preserves traditional Korean coloring via his craft

Dancheong is a distinctive traditional style of decorative coloring in Korea used on wooden buildings and artifacts. It features the colors blue, white, red, black and yellow to reflect the yin and yang principle and the Philosophy of the Five Elements of metal, water, wood, fire and soil. [...] - Nov 10, 2021

Tattoo Renegade!

Internationally-famous tattoo artist Pitta KMM brings Korean culture to the rest of the world by interpreting iconic Eastern and Western paintings using historic Korean graphic motifs and Obangsaek, the traditional Korean color spectrum.[...] July 23, 2018

From Korea to LA, Tattoo Artists Emerge From the Underground

Tucked deep within the labyrinth of gray mid-rise residential buildings in a college district in Seoul, a light illuminates an inconspicuous doorway of what appears to be just another apartment complex. However, on the second floor next to apartment 202 is Robin Egg Studio, a secret tattoo parlor. Here, tattoo artist Pitta inks customers with fantastical tigers crawling down upper arms from swirling clouds, dragons slithering around ankles, and lotuses blooming from  [...] - May 1, 2018 

Korean traditional tattoo by Pitta

The story about a guy who decided to become a tattooer in high school may seem rather trivial, if you do not take into account the fact that the guy lives in South Korea.

South Korea is one of countries in which the practice of tattooing is complicated by administrative rules that define this profession as a form of medical services and requiring a special medical [...] - Mar 31, 2018

Intervista con l’artista: i tatuaggi coreani di Pitta KKM

Ci sono artisti in grado di crearsi uno stile talmente unico, da essere riconoscibili immediatamente. Si scrolla il feed di Instagram e si viene subito catturati dai loro colori e dal loro tratto. È il caso del tatuatore coreano Pitta Kim, un ragazzo di grande talento che sta conquistando molta popolarità coi suoi tatuaggi [...] - July 5, 2018

Classic Paintings Reimagined as Tattoos Infused with Korean Art Techniques

Despite tattoo art’s long history and growing popularity, it is still considered taboo in some countries. This is the case in South Korea, where tattooing is considered an illegal activity unless the artist holds a medical license. However, this hasn’t prevented tattoo artist Pitta KKM—whose unique style has made him a pop culture hero—from practicing his craft.

The Korean tattoo artist  [...] - Sep 28, 2017

A Korean Twist on Iconic Fine Art: Pitta KKM Tattoos

Art masterpieces get revamped by Korean tattooer, Pitta KKM. From Picasso to Michelangelo to Magritte, from the waves of Hokusai to the temples of Chūta, KKM pulls inspiration from all over, updating their work through the lens of his heritage.

“In Korea, there are traditional colors called ‘오방색’ (five direction colors),” he explains. “Blue, white, red, black and yellow for east, west, south, north and middle,” respectively. This is his palette. “I always use clouds and colors in [...] Sep 26, 2017