Kwon A-sol, Reiterates Opposition to 'Online Worship'... "Unsure if Korean Church's Response is Correct"

Mixed martial artist Kwon A-sol. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Mixed martial artist Kwon Ah-sol, who previously expressed opposition to holding online worship services in Protestant churches amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has once again voiced his dissenting opinion.

On the 4th, Kwon shared on his Instagram a screenshot from a portal site dictionary defining 'Inbonjuui' and 'Sinbonjuui,' along with an excerpt from Dr. Jang Sung-gu's column titled "COVID-19 and Sunday Worship."

In the photo posted by Kwon, 'Inbonjuui' is defined as "an ideology that regards human value as the main concern," and 'Sinbonjuui' is described as "a faith stance that literally acknowledges God as the foundation of all things."

The column Kwon posted criticized online worship in relation to preventing the spread of COVID-19, stating, "I am not sure if the way the Korean church responded this time was right," and "Although the sudden devastation of a region by COVID-19 was undoubtedly caused by the ignorant and blindly faithful gatherings of the Shincheonji group, Shincheonji is not Christianity."

The column further argued, "The government conducted a thorough investigation of the Shincheonji church and prohibited worship services, but the backlash fell on churches in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, and the aftermath spread to churches nationwide," adding, "The government and media framed churches as hotbeds of infection faster than COVID-19 itself."

Earlier, on the 2nd, Kwon Ah-sol stirred controversy by posting on his social network service (SNS) a message questioning, "What are we so afraid of that we do not attend worship?" criticizing online worship services.

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