'Forced Disbandment of Shincheonji' Blue House National Petition Surpasses 700,000 in Four Days

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kang Joo-hee] A petition urging the forced disbandment of Shincheonji Church of Jesus received 700,000 signatures in just four days on the Blue House National Petition platform.

The petition titled "Request for the Forced Disbandment (Dissolution) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony," posted on the National Petition board on the 22nd, had received 712,765 signatures as of 9:22 a.m. on the 26th.

The petitioner stated, "Since its establishment, Shincheonji has continuously disparaged followers of other religions such as general Christianity and Protestantism, and even committed acts of violence," adding, "Under the pretext of missionary activities, it infringed upon 'freedom of religion.'"

They continued, "The COVID-19 outbreak in the TK region originating from the Shincheonji Daegu Church also occurred due to Shincheonji's unethical doctrines and uncooperative attitude," and said, "According to the media, they issued instructions to obstruct COVID-19 prevention efforts, such as telling members to say they did not attend worship services to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

On the afternoon of the 25th, quarantine officials in Daejeon are conducting disinfection of facilities related to the Shincheonji Church in the area. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The petitioner emphasized, "Because Shincheonji's illegal activities have a serious negative impact and ripple effect on the constitutional order, the benefit of protecting the constitution by dissolving Shincheonji would overwhelmingly outweigh other considerations."

Meanwhile, the government announced on the 25th that it had received the full list of Shincheonji members and planned to conduct investigations related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on them.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) stated, "Since the government raised the crisis alert to the highest level, 'serious,' it emphasized its determination to take legal measures if Shincheonji Church did not voluntarily cooperate, which led to Shincheonji's proactive cooperation."

The CDSCH plans to distribute the member list to public health centers and local governments nationwide as soon as it is secured and begin investigations on members residing in their respective jurisdictions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.