"Forced Disbandment of Shincheonji"... 560,000 Agree on Blue House National Petition

On the 22nd, a petition titled "Request for the Forced Dissolution (Disbandment) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] A petition calling for the forced disbandment of Shincheonji Church of Jesus has received over 500,000 signatures just two days after being posted.

On the 22nd, a petition titled "Petition for the Forced Disbandment (Dissolution) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. By 7:40 PM on the 24th, just two days after posting, the petition had received about 570,000 signatures.

The petitioner stated, "Since its establishment, Shincheonji has continuously disparaged followers of other religions such as mainstream Christianity and Protestantism, and has even committed acts of violence," adding, "It has infringed upon the 'freedom of religion' that every citizen of the Republic of Korea fundamentally possesses under the pretext of missionary activities."

They continued, "Indiscriminate and anti-humanitarian missionary activities and maintaining an abnormal religious system for the sole benefit of the founder can no longer be considered normal religious activities," and said, "These are illegal acts that infringe upon the freedom and rights of the majority of the people."

The petitioner also claimed, "The recent COVID-19 outbreak in the TK region originating from the Shincheonji Daegu Church was caused by Shincheonji's unethical doctrines and insincere cooperation," stating, "Although they verbally declared 'cooperation with the government,' they issued instructions to obstruct epidemiological investigations and quarantine efforts related to COVID-19."

They urged, "Shincheonji, which has mocked and deceived the citizens of the Republic of Korea and repeatedly engaged in unconstitutional acts, must now be disbanded," calling for the dissolution of Shincheonji.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in held a senior secretaries meeting at the Blue House on the same day and said, "The government is accelerating comprehensive investigations and diagnostic testing for Shincheonji members, among whom multiple group infections have occurred," adding, "To prevent the spread of infection not only in the special management areas of Daegu and Cheongdo but also in other communities, all risk factors must be thoroughly managed and controlled."

President Moon added, "The government is mobilizing all capabilities, including local governments, quarantine authorities, and private medical institutions, to operate the quarantine system with full force," and urged, "I once again ask the public to trust our quarantine capabilities and medical system and to join forces in overcoming the current difficulties."

As of 4 PM on the same day, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced that 70 new confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported, bringing the total to 833.

Among the 70 new patients, 53 were from Daegu and Gyeongbuk (41 from Daegu and 12 from Gyeongbuk), increasing the total number of confirmed cases in Daegu and Gyeongbuk to 681.