Church Forces Large-Scale In-Person Worship Despite Suspension Order
Facility Closure Enforcement Procedures Initiated Under Infectious Disease Control Act
Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon: "If Church Closes, We Will Hold Worship at Gwanghwamun Square"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, has decided to close the facilities of Sarang Jeil Church, which violated quarantine guidelines and forcibly held a large-scale in-person worship service. Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, the head pastor of this church, previously claimed that if local governments forcibly closed the church, he would hold outdoor worship services at Gwanghwamun Square.
According to multiple media reports on the 27th, Seongbuk-gu completed an internal review regarding the closure of Sarang Jeil Church's facilities and is implementing the administrative procedures to enforce the order. The district is expected to notify the church of the related procedures within this week at the earliest.
The legal basis for Seongbuk-gu to forcibly close Sarang Jeil Church is under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Article 49, Paragraph 3 of the current Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act states, "If a person who has been ordered to suspend operations continues to operate during the suspension period, the closure of the relevant place or facility shall be ordered." This clause was newly established following a legal amendment in September last year.
On the afternoon of the 25th, the second Sunday after the implementation of 'Social Distancing Level 4,' which banned in-person activities at religious facilities, officials from Seoul City, Seongbuk District Office, and the police conducted an on-site inspection and documentation of quarantine rules for in-person worship in front of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, Seongbuk-gu, together with Seoul City, conducted a joint inspection of religious facilities on the 25th and confirmed that Sarang Jeil Church held an in-person worship service with 150 to 200 attendees.
Sarang Jeil Church had already forcibly held an in-person worship service with about 150 attendees on the 18th, resulting in a fine of 1.5 million KRW and an operation suspension order for 10 days from July 22 to 31. The church violated quarantine guidelines again during the suspension period.
However, if Sarang Jeil Church is actually closed, it is expected that the congregants will strongly oppose it. Pastor Jeon and the National Lawyers Group for the People's Special Prosecutor held a press conference in front of the church at around 10:30 a.m. on the 25th, expressing strong opposition to the "complete ban on worship" measure.
Former Pastor Jeon, who tested positive for COVID-19, is seen leaving the parsonage of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of August 17 last year and boarding a Seongbuk Public Health Center vehicle. / Photo by Yonhap News
On that day, Pastor Jeon stated, "Clearly, malicious church oppression is taking place," and emphasized, "If Seoul City issues a facility closure order against our church today on the grounds of holding worship, from then on, we will move outdoors to Gwanghwamun Square, which is 'the safest place with no cases of group infection,' and officially hold the 'Nationwide Gwanghwamun Worship for the Repentance of the Korean Government and the Restoration of Korea.'"
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Sarang Jeil Church has violated government and local government quarantine guidelines and forcibly held in-person worship services. The church was reported last April for violating Seoul City's gathering ban order by holding on-site worship services, and related trials are currently underway.
In August of the same year, a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred among congregants attending worship, resulting in a two-week facility closure. The cluster infection originating from Sarang Jeil Church led to secondary, tertiary, and so-called "n-th" infections, with the cumulative number of confirmed cases reaching around 670. During this process, Pastor Jeon also tested positive and was transferred to Seoul Medical Center, a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, where he received inpatient treatment.
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