War with Shincheonji... Concerns Over Expansion of 'Shadow Infections'

Local Governments and Police Accelerate Tracking of Church Members
Some Warn "Possibility of Members Going into Hiding Due to Strong Response"
Chairman Lee Man-hee to Hold Press Conference This Afternoon

On the 1st, over 50 soldiers from the 2nd Operations Command conducted disinfection and quarantine operations around the Shincheonji Daegu Church area in Jung-gu, Daegu, tirelessly working even on their day off to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Kim Hyung-min] As local governments have declared a 'war against Shincheonji' by filing complaints against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus with the prosecution and police in relation to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), some voices warn that Shincheonji members, fearing social criticism, may cut off contact or go further into hiding, potentially fueling 'shadow infections.'

According to local governments and police as of the 2nd, three local governments?Seoul, Busan, and Daegu?have directly reported Shincheonji to investigative agencies. Daegu, where the highest number of confirmed cases occurred, filed a complaint with the police against the person in charge of submitting data and the management officer of the Shincheonji Daegu Church for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Daegu City claims that Shincheonji deliberately omitted the list of members when submitting it. Busan imposed closure measures on Shincheonji facilities, but after confirming that some facilities were secretly operating or that members were entering, it decided to take legal action.

The strongest legal response came from Seoul. Mayor Park Won-soon announced on his Facebook page the previous day that he had filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Chairman Lee Man-hee and the leaders of 12 branches on charges of murder, injury, and violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Mayor Park explained the purpose of the complaint, saying, "If they had taken proactive measures, many citizens' deaths or injuries could have been prevented."

The tracking of Shincheonji members who have lost contact is also accelerating. The police have organized a 'COVID-19 Rapid Response Team' consisting of 5,700 personnel across 273 police stations nationwide to locate Shincheonji members. Although local governments initially contacted Shincheonji members, about 9,000 out of approximately 230,000 members remain unreachable. The police immediately begin locating them upon request from local governments.

However, some caution that such a tough response may drive Shincheonji members further into hiding.

Gyeonggi Province, which was the first among local governments to secure the list of Shincheonji members, is not considering filing complaints. Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province pointed out, "At this point, filing complaints is a waste of administrative resources," adding, "Filing complaints could create hostility with members and hinder cooperative quarantine efforts."

The prosecution is also showing a cautious attitude toward forced investigations such as raids related to the Shincheonji member list. Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is reportedly urging frontline officers to focus on investigations that assist quarantine efforts.

Meanwhile, Lee Man-hee, Chairman of Shincheonji, is scheduled to hold a press conference this afternoon to officially address various allegations related to Shincheonji that have been raised so far.

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