A South Korean Ferry, ‘Sewol’ sank in the Southern sea of the peninsula. The total death toll from this tragic accident is at 275, as of May 12, 2014. Until now, only 172 passengers have been rescued, and 29 people are still

missing.

On April 16, the ferry ‘Sewol’ was sailing from Incheon to Jeju Island with 476 passengers on board, most of whom were students going on a field trip. Then suddenly, around nine o’clock in the morning, the ship steered sharply. It was not long until the ferry completely fell over to its left side, submerging almost half of its body. The maritime police and private fishing boats near the scene hurried and began rescuing passengers, but they did not have enough time to save them all. The ‘Sewol’ completely sank under the sea within an hour, with more than 200 people still on board. Unfortunately, none of them were known to survive.

Many arguments have been made concerning the cause of such a disastrous accident. Initially, it was believed that the ship was wrecked on a rock. But after investigations, it turned out that no rocks seemed to be at the site of the accident. Instead, it is now strongly assumed that the ship somehow made a sudden turn during the voyage, causing heavy cargo to lean to one side, which led the entire ship to tilt over.

After the accident, the nation was greatly shocked. The main road to Jindo was lined with yellow ribbons, which was designed by University and spread through SNS. The meaning of such began as one being hopeful, “one small

step, big miracle.” As the death toll continues to rise, however, it has evolved into a national sign of grief. People are tying ribbons to their homes and schools across the country, hoping the least miracle will happen for those who have not been saved yet.