Over 900 Confirmed Cases from Sarang Jeil Church in Just 2 Weeks (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disease Control Headquarters Regular Briefing
915 Cases in 14 Days Since First Patient on the 12th

On the 20th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, the scene of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The number of confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, has increased to over 900 in two weeks amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of noon on the 25th, 40 new cases related to the church were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 915. Among them, 564 are presumed to be church members or visitors who were infected, and 237 were infected through secondary transmission. The infection routes of the remaining 114 are under investigation. By region, 529 cases are in Seoul, with 856 cases in the metropolitan area and 59 cases outside the metropolitan area. Approximately 42% (380 cases) are aged 60 or older.

Since the first case was reported on the 12th, cases have been steadily confirmed at the church. There have also been 120 cases across 22 locations of secondary infections involving people not directly related to the church, such as those who are not members or did not visit the church but were infected through workplace or other transmissions. This is an increase of 5 cases from the previous day. To cut off additional transmission chains, health authorities are conducting epidemiological investigations at 186 locations visited by confirmed cases related to this cluster outbreak.

At a briefing, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "An analysis of severe and fatal cases over the past two weeks shows that the proportion of patients aged 60 or older has increased to 32% compared to the previous two weeks," adding, "There are a total of 38 severe cases, of which 7 are related to Sarang Jeil Church, the highest number."

On the afternoon of the 15th, in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a rally organized by Sarangjeil Church and the Liberty Solidarity condemning corruption in the Moon Jae-in administration, abuse of power by Choo Mi-ae, and sexual harassment by Democratic Party local government heads took place, resulting in partial control of the Gwanghwamun area.

"Church Cluster Outbreak, Majority Elderly... 7 of 38 Severe Cases Related"
193 Confirmed Cases from Seoul Downtown Rally, 44 from Gwanak-gu Cryptocurrency Cluster

Although unrelated to the church, confirmed cases linked to the rally held on the 15th in downtown Seoul, including Gwanghwamun, increased by 17 from the previous day, bringing the total to 193. Among them, 107 cases are directly related to the rally, 25 are secondary transmissions, and 7 are police officers. The remaining 54 cases are under investigation. Since it is difficult to identify all rally participants, health authorities have requested location information from telecommunications companies to aid epidemiological investigations.

Regarding the cluster outbreak at the Muhangu Group, presumed to be a cryptocurrency-related company in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 19 additional cases were confirmed, raising the total to 44. This cluster is linked to the Cheongam University gym (14 cases) inside the Homeplus in Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do. In Jung-gu, Seoul, related to the real estate auction company Darae Auction, 11 new cases were confirmed after the first case on the 21st, bringing the total to 12.

Additional cases continue to emerge from sporadic cluster infections nationwide. The cluster outbreak at Uri Jeil Church in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, has increased to 183 cases, and the Starbucks Paju Yadang Station cluster in Paju City has risen to 66 cases. There are 10 confirmed cases related to Seller Days in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and 41 cases linked to Galilee Church in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.

Additionally, there are 8 cases in the Seo-gu Office cluster in Incheon, and 4 cases including 1 student at Ganjaeul Middle School. At Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital in Cheonan, Chungnam Province, 7 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 17.