Lee Jae-myung, Ready to Ban Church 'Gathering Worship'?..."Considering Assembly Ban for Public Safety"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated on the 8th that 2,858 churches in the province are planning to forcibly hold 'gathering worship services,' and he is seriously considering issuing a 'ban on assemblies order' for the safety of 13.6 million Gyeonggi residents.

On the 7th, Governor Lee said on Facebook, "Through the earnest appeals and recommendations of the government, Gyeonggi Province, and each city and county, Buddhism, Catholicism, Won Buddhism, and Confucianism have decided to suspend collective religious events, and 2,247 churches in the province have resolved to hold home worship services," adding, "However, 2,858 churches, accounting for 56% of all churches, plan to forcibly hold gathering worship services," expressing his regret.

He particularly mentioned, "'Close contact within 2 meters in indoor spaces' is the COVID-19 transmission route identified by health authorities," and added, "Due to the nature of religious events, religious gatherings are pointed out as vulnerable factors for infection, and actual cluster infection cases have appeared. However, since it involves restricting the freedom of religious activities guaranteed by the Constitution, blocking gathering worship services is not an easy issue."

He further explained, "Religious freedom must be respected, but religious freedom can also be restricted for the protection of the people's life and safety, and Article 49 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act allows for orders such as banning assemblies."

Especially, he emphasized, "Currently, the lives of the people and the safety of the community are threatened due to COVID-19, so active and strong preventive measures are inevitable," and added, "Even at this moment, officials from the province and frontline cities and counties are persuading churches to hold home worship services instead of gathering worship services."

Governor Lee also stated, "If religious gatherings are forcibly banned, tremendous backlash and criticism are expected, but among the tasks entrusted to me by 13.6 million residents, the most important is to protect the safety of the community," and added, "I will bear the criticism as part of the responsibility corresponding to that authority."

He said, "After observing the situation this weekend, I will seriously consider issuing a ban on religious gatherings in the province," and added, "I look forward to advice, suggestions, and criticism from many people, including religious individuals."

Earlier, a full survey conducted by Gyeonggi Province from the 2nd to the 6th targeting 5,105 churches in the province revealed that 2,858 churches (56%) plan to hold gathering worship services on Sunday the 8th. In particular, among 212 major base churches in the province, 76 churches (36%) decided not to switch to online or video worship services and to hold gathering worship services.

The problem is that concerns about COVID-19 cluster infections are increasing due to churches holding gathering worship services. In fact, 10 confirmed cases were reported at Saengmyeongsaem Church in Mangpo 2-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon City. At Together Church in Haan-dong, Gwangmyeong City, three members of a worshipper's family were confirmed positive, leading the church to voluntarily close.

A provincial official emphasized, "In a situation where the education authorities have postponed the opening of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide and urged private academies to close, it is appropriate for churches, which are representative multi-person gathering spaces, to also refrain from worship services."

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