Following the "Sewol" Ferry sinking, yellow ribbons became a prevalent symbolism in South Korea, its significance evolving from hopes of return and mourning to activism and democratization. Historically, yellow colored ribbons were used as a symbol of support for military troops in Western countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, its usage mainly signifying hopes of someone's safe return. During the 1980s, the yellow ribbons were adopted in the Philippines as a symbol of democratization which inspired South Korea to use the symbol for democratization as well. When the "Sewol" Ferry capsized off South Korea's southern coast near Jindo County on 16 April 2014, the yellow ribbon quickly became a widespread symbol online symbolizing hopes of return of the passengers. However, once it became clear that the victims are not coming back and citizens began questioning the competency of the government, the significance of the yellow ribbon evolved from symbolizing public sign of remembrance and sympathy to defiance against the government, activism and protest culture, and democratization. As a result of the apolitical symbol's transformation into a political one, the color yellow quickly became a topic of contention. Regardless, tiny yellow ribbons was widely circulated all over South Korea, both virtually through social media and physically through portable items and significant sites. Yellow ribbons, in tendem with other yellow-colored items, came to define spaces of protest and political resistance among progressive activists in South Korea.