Shincheonji Refutes Recording Claiming "There Is a Church in Wuhan"… "There Are Followers but No Church"

Photo by YouTube channel 'Shincheonji Jesus Church of the Testimony' COVID-19 situation statement video capture

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) denied claims on the 26th that there is still a Shincheonji church in Wuhan, China (武漢), the origin of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), after a recording was released.

Shincheonji stated in an official press release that "All Shincheonji churches in China have closed their places of worship since 2018, when the Religious Affairs Ordinance was enforced," adding, "The Wuhan mission site was closed as of June 15, 2018, and all meetings and worship services have been moved online."

They further explained, "A church is administratively named as such if it has more than 120 registered members. Wuhan exceeded 120 members in 2018, so it was designated as a church as of January 1, 2019."

They rebutted by saying, "Although it is called a church, worship services are conducted online only, and there is no building where actual gatherings take place."

They also said, "Wuhan members are managed by the Busan Jacob branch, but due to special circumstances in China, dispatching personnel is not possible, so the Chinese churches operate autonomously. However, the Busan Jacob branch maintains contact for faith management, providing a sense of belonging and encouragement."

According to Shincheonji, there are currently about 357 members residing in Wuhan. They claimed that since December last year, no Shincheonji members from the Wuhan church in China have entered South Korea.

Photo by YouTube channel 'Jongmallon Samuso' capture

Earlier on the same day (26th), the YouTube channel 'End Times Office' uploaded a video titled "Requesting the Arrest and Investigation of Shincheonji Leadership." The video contained a recorded sermon by the leader of the Busan Jacob branch, which manages areas including Wuhan, China, among the 12 branches under the Shincheonji General Assembly.

The released recording included the Busan Jacob branch leader saying on the 9th, "You know the Wuhan pneumonia now? That’s where our branch church is located," and "China now has over 700 deaths and more than 30,000 confirmed cases. That origin is where our branch church is."

He continued, "But not a single one of our members has been infected," and preached, "We are thankful. If you stand firm in faith, God will protect and guard you."

Meanwhile, as confirmed COVID-19 cases surged recently centered around the Shincheonji Daegu church, suspicions arose that Shincheonji members from the Wuhan area might have entered the country and caused the spread. Shincheonji strongly denies these allegations.

On the 23rd, Shincheonji held an online press conference stating, "COVID-19 started in China and spread to South Korea," and claimed, "Shincheonji church is the biggest victim."

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