Shincheonji Believer Visited Wuhan Last January... Could the Cause of the 'COVID Super-Spreader' Be Revealed? (Comprehensive)

The view of Sincheonji Daegu Church in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The quarantine authorities have revealed that they have identified that some members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in South Korea visited Wuhan last January.

On the afternoon of the 1st, the Central Disease Control Headquarters stated in a briefing, "We are currently reviewing the entry and exit records of domestic Shincheonji members through the Ministry of Justice," adding, "Although it is not yet confirmed, it appears that some domestic Shincheonji members traveled to Wuhan, China, last January." Wuhan is the epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic spreading worldwide.

The Disease Control Headquarters said, "(In the future) we will investigate more thoroughly to clarify the reasons why infections occurred as a central group."

The Shincheonji side has previously explained about the entry of Chinese members but has not commented on the departure of domestic members to China. Shincheonji stated, "Since December last year until now, 88 Chinese members have entered Korea, and none of the Shincheonji members from the Wuhan church in China have entered Korea." According to Shincheonji, among the 88 members, 39 have returned to China, and 49 remain in Korea, residing in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.

The Ministry of Justice notified the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) yesterday of the entry and exit records from July 1 last year to the 27th for 244,743 Shincheonji members. Upon verification, among 211,462 domestic members, 3,572 were recorded as having entered Korea from China. Among all members, 3,610 entered Korea from China during the same period, of whom 42 came from Wuhan.

Shincheonji has been identified as a 'hub' for the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). After the first domestic infection case was reported on January 20, the number of confirmed cases, which was only about 30 for a month, increased more than 100 times within 12 days. This was after the first confirmed case (patient number 31) emerged from the Shincheonji Daegu Church on the 18th. The Shincheonji church's worship style, which involves praying in close proximity and sitting on the floor, is believed to have maximized the virus's transmissibility.