"Many believers and citizens infected... Sorry for causing concern"
"Daegu church members completed self-quarantine measures"
"245,000 believers advised to refrain from outside activities"
"1,100 churches and affiliated institutions nationwide closed"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyo-jin] Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) announced on the 23rd that it will mobilize all its capabilities to cooperate for the early end of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) outbreak.
Kim Simon, spokesperson for Shincheonji, said through a YouTube broadcast at 5 p.m. that day, "I urge the believers to actively cooperate with the measures of the health authorities."
Spokesperson Kim also expressed the position that "currently many believers of Shincheonji and the public have been infected with COVID-19, and we deeply regret causing concern to the public."
Kim said, "We have completed self-quarantine measures for 9,294 believers of the Daegu church and are conducting tests for all believers," adding, "We have notified all 245,000 believers to refrain from outside activities."
According to Shincheonji, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested the list of all believers of the Daegu church on the 19th and it was provided the next day.
Shincheonji also stated that since the 18th, all meetings, worship services, and evangelism activities of believers have been suspended, symptomatic individuals are checked daily, and this information is being closely shared with the KCDC.
Spokesperson Kim further said, "On the 18th, when the first confirmed case was identified at the Daegu church, 1,100 churches and affiliated institutions nationwide were closed, all disinfection and quarantine were completed by the 21st, and on the 22nd, the disinfection and quarantine status was disclosed and all addresses of churches and affiliated institutions were provided to the KCDC."
Regarding concerns raised as about 670 believers of the Daegu church could not be contacted, Kim said, "Among them, 417 have been instructed to get tested, and for the 253 who have not attended church for a long time and cannot be reached, we are using all possible methods to contact them."
Kim said, "Although the entire list of Daegu church believers was handed over to the health authorities for the early resolution of the COVID-19 situation, the list was leaked, leading to discrimination, insults, and pressure to resign against Shincheonji believers in the local community, which should never happen."
Kim emphasized, "Shincheonji believers are Korean citizens who have trusted the authorities' quarantine measures and are the biggest victims," and earnestly requested, "Please refrain from hatred and groundless criticism against the believers."
Shincheonji originally planned to hold a press conference at a hotel near Seoul City Hall on the 24th but canceled it due to difficulties in securing the venue and instead expressed their position through the broadcast on this day.
Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of 4 p.m. on the same day, 46 additional COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported compared to 9 a.m. Earlier that morning, 123 new patients were confirmed, resulting in 169 new confirmed cases in one day.
The fifth death occurred on this day. The fifth deceased was a 57-year-old woman (patient number 38) related to the Shincheonji Daegu church. She was confirmed positive on the 18th and was treated at Kyungpook National University Hospital.
Among the 46 newly confirmed patients in the afternoon, 20 were related to the Shincheonji Daegu church. Of these, 12 cases occurred in Daegu, 2 in Gyeongbuk, 3 in Gyeongnam, and 1 each in Busan, Gwangju, and Gyeonggi. Accordingly, among the 602 confirmed cases in Korea, a total of 329 are related to the Shincheonji Daegu church.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
