Activist Seo Yeong-seok (46, Nadulmok Community Church) proposed to the seven other activists at the scene, “How about making yellow umbrellas as a way to remember the Sewol Ferry?” His idea led to the decision to collectively purchase 100 yellow umbrellas. They put the word out on SNS, applications came in one or two at a time, and they were able to buy 1,000 umbrellas. The collective purchasing still goes on.
“Many persons feel the pain of Sewol even though they cannot take direct action,” Seo thought. He planned the yellow umbrellas project to help more people cherish the memory of those whose lives were lost when the ferry sank. The project commenced on June 18 last year at Seopjikoji, a seashore area of Seogwipo City, Jeju Island. Local residents had some doubts, declaring that it would be a miracle if 100 persons gathered in this place far from downtown Jeju City. Seo was not dissuaded. He went to Jeju Island seven times, spending a day or two each time, meeting and appealing to people. The miracle happened. When the gathering of 230 persons opened up their yellow umbrellas at the beach, against the scenic backdrop of Seongsan Ilchulbong, it was a moment to remember for a lifetime. This first-stage project drew strong media attention, and it was repeated another 29 times, in Seoul, Ansan, Chuncheon and other areas around the country.
And that was not the end. This past November, Seo produced a “Sewol Calendar” as another aid to remembering the Sewol incident all year long, and began its distribution and sales. The calendar is a monthly record of the activities following the disaster, starting with a “Record of Sewol Ferry’s 72 hours.” It also contains the birthdays of the students and teachers whose lives were lost. Seo couldn’t bear to write the date on April 16, the day of the sinking, but instead expressed it with a yellow ribbon. The last page of the calendar shows April 2018, the fourth anniversary of the Sewol tragedy.
When Kukmin Daily met Seo on December 31 at Gwanghwamun Plaza, on Sejong-daero in downtown Seoul, he and his wife Ju Hae-yeong (46) were in their booth together, selling the calendars. He has distributed 2,000 of them to the memorial altar and the memorial classroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, and to other places such as youth centers.
Seo, who operates a photo studio, was transformed into a Sewol Ferry activist in May 2014. It happened when he was watching a news report that showed the Sewol victims’ families being blocked by police cars as they tried to pay a protest visit to a broadcasting company. “I felt as if my heart would burst. I thought, ‘Those bereaved families are my neighbors.’ I began holding one-person protests and taking other actions, and my regular work got pushed aside a little.”
After moving to Sejong City in 2015, he held one-person protests three or four times a week in front of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. He managed to operate his photo studio at odd times, to maintain his family’s livelihood.
Seo said his activities were made possible thanks to the members of his “family church,” a small-group community within his Nadulmok Community Church. “In church, we have been trained to build God’s kingdom through the way we live each week. Before that, I was a believer who only prayed, without much concern for social problems. It is due to my fellow community members’ encouragement of my Sewol activities that I’ve come this far in spite of the various difficulties.”
And he did encounter difficulties. When his mobile phone number was publicized through the yellow umbrellas project, he was bombarded with protest calls and messages from conservative groups, which kept him in a state of panic for some time. He tried to give his Sewol activities first priority, but as the head of a household with a son and two daughters, his economic burden was not light.
“Even so, we can survive and feed ourselves without big problems. Things get worked out somehow.” He laughed. “The bereaved families get stronger just by seeing one more yellow ribbon. This year, if the truth of the Sewol disaster is made known, I will be able to devote myself to my regular work again.”
Article and photos by reporter A-young Kim (singforyou@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Original Article in Korean:
‘노란 우산’ 펼치고 ‘슬픈 달력’ 만들고… 세월호 기억 프로젝트 활동하는 사진작가 서영석씨
