The Washington Post - 24.02.2020

monday, february 24 , 2020. the washington post eZ re A

BY MIN JOO KIM

SEOUL — A fringe church in
South Korea with a messianic
leader has been shut down after
a surge of coronavirus infections.
More than half of South Ko-
rea’s covid-19 cases have been
traced to a regional branch of the
secretive Shincheonji Church of
Jesus, formally known as the
Te mple of the Ta bernacle of the
Te stimony.
But authorities were having
difficulty locating members,
many of whom are probably in
hiding, a former member said.
Shincheonji members believe
leader L ee Man-hee is the second
coming of Jesus. In an internal
message, Lee called the spread of
the virus “a devil’s deed.”
The South Korean govern-
ment on Sunday announced 169
new coronavirus cases and two
more deaths, bringing the totals
to 602 cases and six deaths.
Authorities raised the national
threat level to “ red a lert,” t he first
time they’ve used the highest
setting since the H1N1 swine flu
outbreak in 2009.
South Korean President Moon
Jae-in said the country’s corona-
virus crisis has entered a “totally
different phase since the mass
infection at Shincheonji.” Hun-
dreds of thousands signed a
petition calling for the church to
be dissolved.
Moon called the temporary
shutdown of Shincheonji
churches across the country “a
fair and inevitable step” to pro-
tect the community. He said
there was “no intention to limit
religious freedom.”
Shincheonji spokesman Kim
Si-mon said in a live stream late
Sunday that its 1,100 churches
and annex buildings nationwide
have been closed and its 245,
churchgoers have been instruct-
ed to refrain from e xternal a ctivi-
ties.
Kim said Shincheonji “is thor-
oughly tackling the coronavirus
as we totally understand the
South Korean public’s worries.”
The church said it canceled plans
for a news conference after all
the venues it reached out to
refused to host the event, citing
concerns over the virus.
He criticized “slanderous me-
dia r eports” a ccusing Shincheon-
ji of covering up an internal
crisis from the virus.
The church denied reports
that members were told to lie
about recent services. The
church said it was not an official
order from the leadership but a
“personal message” from one
member.
Health authorities have iden-
tified a 61-year-old woman who
attended a Shincheonji branch in
the southern city of Daegu as
patient zero for scores of cases
within the church. The Korea
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said the woman ini-
tially refused doctors’ requests

that she be tested for the virus on

the grounds that she had not

traveled abroad recently.

The church denied media re-

ports that the woman assaulted

nurses and created a commotion

with fellow church members at

the hospital.

Authorities have identified a

pair of Sunday services she at-

tended with 1,000 others this

month as a hotbed for the coro-

navirus.

The number of cases traced to

the Daegu church have snow-

balled to 329 in a week, accord-

ing to the Korea Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

The director of the agency said

Shincheonji services that gather

worshipers in crowded spaces

possibly aggravated transmis-

sions there.

Shin Hyun-wook, a former

Shincheonji member who now

campaigns against religious

cults, said church members are

supposed to kneel on the floor in

tight rows at temple halls. Wor-

shipers are not allowed to wear

masks during services, Shin said.

Local authorities said they

had reached out to Shincheonji

members in Daegu for inspec-

tion, but 670 were unresponsive

as of Sunday. Police have mobi-

lized some 600 officers to track

down members.

Shin said hundreds of Shin-

cheonji members are probably in

hiding: “For them, the fear of

being outed as a Shincheonji

follower is bigger than the fear of

getting ill from the virus.” Be-

cause of the “cult stigma” at-

tached to the church, Shin said,

some members hide their affilia-

tion even from their families.

Kim, the Shincheonji spokes-

man, said a membership list the

Daegu church submitted to

health authorities was leaked

and exposed members to person-

al attacks. Kim said those who

were outed by the list have faced

discrimination, insults and fir-

ing from their jobs.

An online petition to Moon’s

office asking for the “forceful

dissolution of Shincheonji,” has

drawn nearly 380,000 support-

ers.

Woo Seoc-kyun, a representa-

tive of the Association of Physi-

cians for Humanism, said “ha-

tred against Shincheonji” does

not help but hinders efforts to

contain the virus. “The labeling

effect will push them even deep-

er into hiding,” Woo was quoted

as saying by the online news

outlet Pressian.

In his internal message, pub-

lished by South Korea’s Yonhap

News Agency, church leader Lee

called the mass infection “the

devil’s deed to curb the rapid

growth of Shincheonji.”

“Just like Job had his faith

tested,” he said, “it is to destroy

our growth.”

A church spokeswoman did

not respond to a Washington

Post request for comment.

Lee, who founded the move-

ment in 1984, claims he will save

his followers from an impending

apocalypse. His followers believe

he is a prophet who can decode

hidden meanings in the Bible

and live eternally.

[email protected]

South Korea shutters

church over coronavirus

Members may be hiding

as officials trace 329

cases to messianic sect

Kim Hong-Ji/reuters

A branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, whose 1,100 churches
and annex buildings have been closed after a surge in virus cases.

Daegu metropolitan City namgu/agenCe FranCe-presse/getty images

South Korean health officials spray disinfectant by the Shincheonji
Church of Jesus branch that has been linked to 329 cases.

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