In hopes of the missing passengers’ safe return, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign started on social networking services and instant messengers, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Kakaotalk. The participants of the campaign changed their profile pictures to a picture of a yellow ribbon, with a phrase that read “Let one small movement bring a big miracle.” Many donated money to support the rescue and the affected families, and yellow banners were installed on the streets, as a way to mourn and pray for the victims of the tragedy.

 

The symbol of the yellow ribbons originates from the Western culture and holds the symbolic meaning that can be interpreted as “awaiting the loved one’s return.” KU campus also had many yellow ribbons being hung up, each with hopeful and mournful messages written by KU students for the Sewol victims. These yellow ribbons could be seen being tied up on a rope near the passage way to the West Gate. Also, yellow ribbons could be seen on the trees of the Science and Engineering campus.

 

As with many other people, KU students thought that it was important to show their condolences to the victims and the affected families, not only as individuals but also as students of KU. On the KU students’ community website, Koreapas.net, the student union from the College of Liberal Arts was collecting donations from students to send to rescue teams and families of the victims, in the name of KU students. On April 29, a group of students gathered at the West Gate to visit the group memorial altar of the Sewol victims near the Seoul City Hall.

 

After the tragedy, KU had changed its banner for the KU news section on its official website, korea.ac.kr, with a yellow ribbon, too. Under the picture of the yellow ribbon, there was a phrase that read “praying for a miracle of the missing Sewol ferry passengers.” The additional phrase after the first was more heart aching: “We will wait for our alumni, Jeon Soo Young (’08, Korean Language Education) who protected her students till the end.”

 

 

Soon after the sinking of the Sewol, the whole nation went into a period of mourning. Many big-scale festivals and parties were being canceled, as the administrators decided that the enthusiastic nature of such events do not concord with the mournful mood of the country. Because May, just a month after the tragedy, is traditionally scheduled with varsity festivals all round Korea, many universities were concerned whether it was proper to proceed with their prepared schedule.

 

Many universities, including Seoul National University, Ehwa Women’s University, and Hanyang University, canceled or postponed their May festivals till the fall as a consequence of the Sewol tragedy, with reasons similar to the cancelling of festivals and parties mentioned above. KU’s student council, Godaegonggamdae, also was put in a dilemma regarding this issue and had a long meeting to decide what to do with the School Festival’s schedule.

 

On May 7, the Central Administrative Committee officially announced their stance about KU’s School Festival and their decision was to carry out the festival according to its original schedule, from May 26 to 29. “We decided that if all members of the school were to pursue the true nature of accompaniment as a scaffold for improvement over the pursuit of simple entertainment, and as a place for thoughts about this society to which we belong, the normal hosting of the School Festival will not contradict the sadness that the school members would have felt as members of society,” said the Central Administrative Committee.

 

The KU Cheer Squad also announced that they will be organizing Ipselenti on May 30, also according to the original schedule. “We do not think that KU’s cheering culture is just simple entertainment,” the squad wrote in its announcement. “Among the wave of mourning throughout the whole society, we thought that keeping the original form of Ipselenti “Jiya Hamsung” could give misunderstanding to some, and discomfort to others. We fully realize everyone’s worries and concerns and we, the KU Cheer Squad, promise that this 37th Ipselenti “JIya Hamsung” will not become a festival only pursuing entertainment.”

 

There were some mixed feelings about the festival’s schedule, especially with many other schools cancelling or postponing their festivals. However, as the School Festival is one of KU’s biggest events within the school year, it seems that the organizing committees are not carrying on the original schedule without pondering about the possible consequences.

 

It is certain that the tragedy of the Sewol has put the whole nation into a period of mourning. However, no one is certain to what extent this sadness that we all have in our hearts has to be expressed. The sinking of Sewol, and the tragic deaths of the passengers should not be forgotten too easily, and KU’s School Festival and Ipselenti should not bring light-heartedness about the matter into any student participants.