COVID-19 Active Surveillance Target Shincheonji Believer Found Dead... Suspected Fall Death

Religious Issues Cause Marital Discord... Shincheonji Requests "Stop the Heresy Frame"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A Shincheonji Church member under active surveillance for COVID-19 in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, was found dead in the apartment where she lived.

The Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters and Jeongeup Police announced on the 10th that at 10:36 p.m. the previous day, A (41, female) was found dead from a fall in an apartment in Suseong-dong, Jeongeup-si.

When the fire authorities responded to a report from the husband saying "my wife fell," A was in cardiac arrest with no pulse. She was transported to a nearby hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead.

A was known to have been under active surveillance as she was included in the Shincheonji member list.

A Jeonbuk official stated, "A tested negative twice for COVID-19," and "the monitoring period was scheduled to end on the 13th." A underwent COVID-19 tests on the 28th of last month and the 7th of this month, both of which were negative. Postmortem tests also came back negative.

Meanwhile, the police indicated that A appeared to have taken an extreme step by going out onto the balcony after an argument with her husband.

During the police investigation, A’s husband reportedly stated, "My wife started attending the Shincheonji Church about 7 or 8 years ago. I tried to discourage her from going, but she continued attending, which caused conflicts."

No suicide note was found.

A police official said, "There is no suspicion of homicide so far, but to determine the exact cause of death, an autopsy will be requested from the National Forensic Service."

In response, Shincheonji issued a press release stating, "A had been arguing with her husband over religious issues for several years," and "We understand that A and her husband argued the day before."

Through an 'Appeal to the Governor of Jeonbuk and the Residents,' they stated, "The cult frame has killed people again," and urged, "Please stop stigmatizing and hating Shincheonji Church members."

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