"Stop Corona" vs "Religious Freedom Violation" Lee Jae-myung's Remarks on 'Religious Gathering Restrictions' Spark Daily Heated Debate

Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung Considers 'Restricting Religious Gatherings' to Prevent COVID-19
Some Religious Groups Protest 'Violation of Religious Freedom'
Heated Debates Continue on SNS Over the Remarks

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung announced an emergency administrative order to "forcefully close 353 Shincheonji facilities in the province for 14 days and ban gatherings" during a briefing at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the morning of the 24th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Heated debates have been ongoing daily over Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's remarks on the possibility of restricting 'freedom of religious gatherings.' Governor Lee stated, "This is a process of gathering opinions from various places." However, some in the religious community argue that his remarks infringe on religious freedom, leading to continued backlash.

On the 7th at around 3:51 PM, Governor Lee himself posted a statement on his Facebook regarding the consideration of 'religious restrictions,' which, as of 12:55 PM on the 10th, has sparked heated debates with over 2,900 comments and 479 shares.

On the 9th, Governor Lee appeared on JTBC's 'Newsroom' and said, "We are continuously reviewing what level of prohibition or restriction the religious community can accept. I think we need to reach a conclusion in some direction before this weekend."

Regarding the situation of pushing for restrictions on religious gatherings, he explained, "As we passed this weekend, we saw that many churches are conducting online services or home worship rather than in-person gatherings. Even in cases where in-person services are unavoidable, measures such as disinfection, spacing between congregants, and mask-wearing are being implemented. We will add a few more measures, gather opinions, and then make a decision."

However, some in the religious community still oppose this. Churches insisting on in-person worship argue that banning services effectively infringes on religious freedom and point to it as a 'political ploy.'

Jang Doo-ik, an executive of the Korea Christian Federation, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the same day, "(Religious freedom) is a constitutional right, and using subordinate laws on infectious diseases to override higher laws... there are few places as diligent in quarantine as churches. This is political pressure. Because it is a political stance, we do not pay attention to it," he rebutted.

On the 6th, a decontamination soldier from the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) School of the Army Sangmu Base is conducting COVID-19 prevention disinfection at the bus terminal in Jangseong-eup, Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon also posted on his Facebook on the 8th, opposing Governor Lee's push to restrict religious gatherings, saying, "I oppose it," and criticized, "Governor Lee Jae-myung, let's keep populism in check. Freedom of faith is something even the president cannot infringe upon. It is not a value that a mere provincial governor can recklessly touch."

Professor Jin pointed out, "There will inevitably be churches that insist on Sunday worship. It is the governor's duty to prepare quarantine measures for such churches," and added, "If infections occur despite these measures, it is the pastor's responsibility, not the governor's." He further stated, "Focus on quarantine, not politics."

Citizens are engaging in intense debates by commenting on Governor Lee's Facebook post regarding his remarks on restricting religious gatherings. On the afternoon of the 10th, one citizen commented, "This is not about stopping religious activities but about restricting gatherings, so I believe it must be limited," and added, "I am non-religious, but no matter how you think about it, places like churches or temples are just locations, and going there a few times is not a problem."

On the other hand, another citizen emphasized, "Most churches are conducting online services as a principle, and a minimal number of congregants are sitting apart to worship," and stressed, "They are thoroughly wearing masks and disinfecting, so it is not worse than working all day in a typical workplace environment. If churches give up worship and prayer, there will be no hope left."

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