Suspension of Church Operations for 'Daemyeon Worship'... Court Orders "Stay of Effect"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Although the district office imposed a suspension order on a church that held in-person worship services in violation of quarantine rules, the court has put a stop to it.

On the 29th, according to the legal community, the Administrative Division 3 of the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Yoo Hwanwoo) decided to "suspend the suspension order for 10 days imposed by the Eunpyeong District Office on Eunpyeong Jeil Church until the 30th day from the date of the ruling on the cancellation lawsuit of the suspension order."

Earlier, Eunpyeong Jeil Church forcibly held in-person worship services on the 18th, when the social distancing level 4, which prohibited face-to-face activities at religious facilities, was in effect. On that day, a total of 473 people, including church members, were caught by the joint inspection team for holding in-person worship.

Accordingly, the Eunpyeong District Office ordered the church to suspend operations for 10 days starting from the 22nd. They also added that if the order was not followed, the church could be closed.

However, Eunpyeong Jeil Church filed a main lawsuit to cancel the suspension order and applied for a stay of execution. The court ruled that "there is an urgent need to prevent irreparable damage if the suspension order continues, and it is insufficient to recognize that the suspension would have a serious impact on public welfare."

With the court's decision, Eunpyeong Jeil Church can resume normal operations. However, according to quarantine guidelines, only 10% of the total capacity, within the limit of fewer than 20 people, can attend.