In an era marked not only by human-caused disasters but also by climate change, war, and growing environmental uncertainty, I am inspired by ordinary people who devote themselves to protecting life in all its forms. Their actions embody a profound respect for our shared world and a determination to respond to crisis with courage, solidarity, and compassion.
One extraordinary example of this humanitarian spirit emerged in Korea in 2007.
Off the coast of Taean on Korea’s western shoreline, an oil tanker collided with a crane barge, releasing 12,547 kiloliters of crude oil into the sea – the largest marine oil spill in Korean history. Thick black oil engulfed the coastline, devastating one of the country’s most beautiful coastal environments and threatening both the local ecosystem and the livelihoods of nearby residents.
Environmental experts predicted that restoring the damaged ecosystem would require at least a decade. Yet what followed was widely regarded as a miracle. Within two months, the cleanup operation achieved remarkable progress, and in less than two years the area had largely recovered. The unprecedented volunteer-led response became a landmark example of collective action, and the records documenting the oil-spill recovery efforts were inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register for Asia and the Pacific in 2023.
More than 1.24 million volunteers – people of all ages from across the nation – traveled to Taean to participate in the recovery effort. Standing in long human chains along the shore, they passed buckets of oil from hand to hand. They brought old clothing, towels, and fabric from their homes to use as absorbent materials, then spent countless hours crouched along the coastline, carefully wiping oil from rocks, pebbles, and tidal flats. Through the labor of human hands, a sea on the brink of death was restored. Despair was transformed into hope. Death was transformed into life.
The media described this unprecedented effort as “the human chain that defeated the oil slick” and celebrated it as “The Miracle of Taean.”
For me, this event affirms a profound belief: that human beings are fundamentally capable of caring for one another and of recognizing the Earth as something precious and worth protecting. It reveals the depth of sacrifice and service people are willing to offer for neighbors in need and for the restoration of damaged ecosystems.
Through this work, I pay tribute to humanity’s capacity for collective action in times of disaster. It is a celebration of the human impulse to come together, to care for one another, and to restore what has been broken. By recording fragments of agency, meaning, community, and lived experience, I seek to honor the enduring power of solidarity.
Artist: Mijoo Jin
Title: From Despair to Hope – The Miracle of Taean
Size: 42 in. (W) × 40 in. (H)
Materials: Cotton, organza, commercial fabrics, hand-dyed fabrics, metallic thread, cotton thread
Techniques: Silkscreen, photo transfer (gel medium), digital printing, machine piecing, machine quilting