Gwangju City Issues 'Assembly Ban and Forced Closure Order' on Shincheonji

Mayor Lee Yong-seop Issues Statement on COVID-19 First Response Evaluation and More

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Seon-gang] Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced a statement on the 27th regarding COVID-19, evaluating the initial response and outlining future plans.

In the statement, Mayor Lee said that since the first confirmed case on the 20th, it was deemed most urgent to quickly identify attendees and contacts of the Shincheonji Daegu Church worship service by February 16. To secure the golden time, Shincheonji officials were included in the task force during related agency meetings to receive relevant data and take necessary measures.

Mayor Lee added, “From the 21st, we took measures to close and disinfect a total of 92 Shincheonji churches and mission centers (Gospel rooms) in the Gwangju area, as provided by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Shincheonji, and completely banned worship and study meetings.”

However, he noted, “As of yesterday, inspections by the city’s Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and five district offices found some places without closure notices or incomplete control, and additional unreported facilities were discovered. To enhance the completeness of preventing infection spread in the region and alleviate citizens’ concerns, from the 27th until the 11th of next month, all Shincheonji-related facilities will be subject to ‘assembly bans and forced closure orders’ under Articles 47 and 49 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act.”

He continued, “So far, the Gwangju Shincheonji Church has provided lists of attendees and contacts from the Daegu church worship, voluntarily closed facilities, and disclosed church CCTV in accordance with Gwangju city’s measures, and we ask that they continue to comply with city directives.”

Mayor Lee stated, “According to Article 49 (Infectious Disease Prevention Measures) of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act, worship and meetings of Shincheonji, as well as assemblies and events directly held or authorized by the city, autonomous districts, and public institutions, and multi-person gatherings held in rented venues by these entities, are prohibited. We also strongly request voluntary restraint on public assemblies and events held in private or personal spaces.”

Additionally, he announced, “This year’s 101st anniversary of the March 1st Movement commemorative event will be simplified by canceling the ceremony and the ringing of the Bell of Democracy, and instead, a visit to the Gwangju Independence Movement Memorial Tower will be held.”

Regarding the full survey of Shincheonji members, Mayor Lee explained, “At 7:30 PM yesterday (26th), the government provided a list of 22,880 Shincheonji members in Gwangju. We have formed an investigation team of about 1,000 city officials conducting a full telephone survey. We will check attendance at the Daegu worship on the 16th, visits to Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, contact with confirmed cases, and COVID-19 symptoms to carry out follow-up measures such as infection testing and quarantine.”

Meanwhile, to prepare for any emergencies, the city designated Bitgoeul Chonnam National University Hospital and Gwangju Municipal Second Nursing Hospital as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, securing an additional 344 beds. Hanam Sacred Heart Hospital was designated as a ‘National Safe Hospital’ as part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s follow-up strategy for COVID-19 community infection response, and efforts to expand National Safe Hospitals are ongoing.

Furthermore, to fundamentally block concerns about mass infections, 35 cultural and arts facilities and 14 sports facilities were closed. Multi-use facilities such as Uchi Park, Family Land, Lake Ecological Park, Gwangju Citizens’ Forest Campground, and Seungchonbo Camping Site were temporarily closed. Following a one-week delay in kindergarten and elementary, middle, and high school openings, 1,126 daycare centers in the area extended their closures until the 8th of next month.

However, even with kindergarten and daycare closures, emergency childcare will be provided by assigning duty teachers to minimize care gaps for dual-income families and others.