[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Small business owners near Jangwi 2-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where Sarang Jeil Church is located, have filed a lawsuit seeking 600 million KRW in damages, claiming economic losses due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) linked to Sarang Jeil Church.
On the 27th, the Protestant civic group Corporation Peace Tree, which supports the lawsuit by the Jangwi Traditional Market Merchants Association and small business owners, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Northern District Court and announced that they are claiming approximately 600 million KRW in damages for illegal acts against the church and Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, including lost sales and compensation for intangible and mental damages.
They argued that on August 12, when the quarantine authorities announced COVID-19 cases originating from Sarang Jeil Church and church officials attended the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally, citizens stopped visiting the Jangwi-dong area, causing economic damage. Based on daily sales data such as credit card records, they claimed a total financial loss of about 340 million KRW from August 16 to September 15.
According to the Jangwi Traditional Market visitor statistics, the average daily number of visitors from August 1 to August 15 was 2,779, but from August 16 to September 15, the average daily visitors dropped to 2,122, a decrease of about 24%.
They stated, "Due to the illegal actions of Sarang Jeil Church officials, the social evaluation of the area has declined, causing mental damages," and requested intangible and mental compensation of 2 million KRW per plaintiff, totaling 240 million KRW.
Gil Hee-bong, president of the Jangwi Traditional Market Merchants Association, said, "This lawsuit is not about receiving a few coins," adding, "We want to hold Jeon Kwang-hoon and Sarang Jeil Church responsible on behalf of our residents for continuously causing disturbances in our peaceful community and ultimately causing massive damage to the area as the source of COVID-19 spread."
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