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Anti-coup protesters lie on the ground after police opened fire in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Wednesday. Kyal Sin, 19, bottom-left, was killed by a shot this day. (Reuters/Yonhap News)

At least 38 unarmed Myanmar citizens were fatally shot by their country’s military and police during a Wednesday demonstration against a recent coup, according to UN reports. It was the worst single day of bloodshed yet since the military carried out its coup on Feb. 1.

The UN estimated that 59 people have lost their lives so far, while citizens claim that the death toll is far higher. As the international community continued to merely denounce the coup without taking any action in response, the increasingly emboldened Myanmar military has been ratcheting up its brutality. It’s enough to leave you vainly searching for signs of hope.

One recently emerging symbol of hope among the people of Myanmar in their longing for a return to democracy is the phrase “Everything will be OK.” Those words were printed in English on the T-shirt worn by Ma Kyal Sin, a 19-year-old woman who was fatally shot in the head during a demonstration Wednesday.

Perhaps aware of the possibility that she might be killed, Kyal Sin posted a message on her Facebook page in which she listed her blood type and emergency contact information, along with a request to donate her body. A 14-year-old boy was also shot dead the same day.

Myanmar citizens overcame their fears to take to the streets once again Thursday. Here is a place where we spy hope: in the courage of the people of Myanmar who remain unbowed in the face of the most atrocious violence.

Despite the threat posed by the military, we have seen continued disobedience campaigns by physicians and government employees, along with strikes by workers.

We have seen nuns standing before soldiers pleading with them not to fire on citizens; we have seen people sharing helmets and protective vests on the street, urging others to “take what you need and promise to come back alive.” The scenes call to mind memories of Gwangju’s experience in May 1980.

Battling the military once again after the 8888 Uprising in 1988 and the Saffron Revolution in 2007, the people of Myanmar have been pleading for assistance from the international community, viewing the latest struggle as their “final fight.” Pope Francis sent a message to people around the world urging them to “see to it that the hopes of the people of Myanmar are not suffocated by violence.”

But the response from the international community has been terribly weak. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Feb. 2 but was unable to even produce a statement denouncing the Myanmar military due to objections from China and Russia.

On Tuesday, there was a meeting of foreign ministers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — of which Myanmar is a member — but they merely released a statement calling for an end to violence without taking any practical measures.

The US State Department called on China Wednesday, which is known to be close with the Myanmar military, to intervene more proactively to prevent further bloodshed.

The international community cannot remain bystanders any longer. With their history of campaigning for democratization, South Koreans have been seeking ways of showing their solidarity with the people of Myanmar. A significant step was taken on Feb. 26 when the National Assembly issued a resolution condemning the Myanmar military.

Now it’s time to translate that resolution into real action. In a report last year, the UN and an international human rights group noted that six out of 14 foreign companies collaborating on joint ventures with the Myanmar military were South Korean businesses, including steel giant POSCO.

At a press conference Wednesday, an association of 224 civic groups called the Korean Civil Society Network Supporting Democracy in Myanmar called on the South Korean government to investigate South Korean companies that have business ties with the Myanmar military and to work harder to ensure that those companies put an end to their activities.

The right decisions by the South Korean government and South Korean companies have the potential to offer a beacon of hope to the people of Myanmar.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]