"Is Kwon Young-jin Not Shincheonji?" Why Does the Mayor of Daegu Keep Facing Shincheonji Suspicions?

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin Expresses Frustration Over Shincheonji Involvement Allegations on SNS
Criticism Comparing Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's Response to Shincheonji
Points Out Passive Response Compared to Lee's Firm Approach
Delayed Response Criticized at Hanmaeum Apartment, Home to Many Shincheonji Members

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin giving a COVID-19 briefing
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin has been addressing allegations of involvement with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), and today (11th) he strongly denied the claims, stating that he is an ordained deacon of the Presbyterian Church. Mayor Kwon has been continuously embroiled in rumors linking him to Shincheonji.

Some have compared Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's response to Shincheonji believers with Mayor Kwon's handling of the situation, raising suspicions that Mayor Kwon cannot take a tough stance because he is a Shincheonji member.

As the so-called 'Daegu Mayor Shincheonji involvement rumor' persisted, Mayor Kwon dismissed the allegations by revealing his religion on his Facebook page.

Regarding suspicions of his connection to Shincheonji, Mayor Kwon said, "I am an ordained deacon of the Presbyterian Church," adding, "It is not even worth responding to reckless comments made with intent on social media."

At a regular briefing on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) held at Daegu City Hall on the 11th, Mayor Kwon said, "I feel dismayed and ashamed that I have to answer such questions and explain myself."

He argued, "How could I have known that volunteer groups like the Evergreen Volunteer Group were related to Shincheonji? After their volunteer work, they asked to take pictures, and since I take pictures with ordinary citizens, would I have taken pictures if I knew they were Shincheonji?"

He continued, "People spread those photos claiming I am connected to Shincheonji and even that I am a member," and reiterated, "I am an ordained deacon of the Presbyterian Church. I am so frustrated that I will no longer provide any explanations."

On the afternoon of the 20th of last month, health officials from Nam-gu Public Health Center were conducting disinfection near the Shincheonji Daegu Church in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the afternoon of the previous day (10th), Mayor Kwon posted on his Facebook, "Go ahead, attack me as much as you want. I will face it boldly," and said, "I am already prepared to die. Even if I die, I will see this war through to the end. I will definitely protect Daegu."

He added, "It has been 22 days since I started fighting the war against COVID-19, sleeping briefly on a field bed," and expressed his struggles, saying, "Not only is fighting the coronavirus tough, but I also have to fight Shincheonji, which cunningly obstructs quarantine efforts, the low-quality media tarnishing Daegu, and bad politics accustomed to factionalism. I am surrounded by difficulties."

Mayor Kwon raised suspicions, asking, "Is there an evil conspiracy at work to frame COVID-19 responsibility = Shincheonji = Daegu = Mayor Kwon Young-jin of Daegu?"

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, arrived at the 'Palace of Peace,' the Shincheonji training center in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, and is seen receiving a phone call. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, some have pointed out that Mayor Kwon appears powerless in handling Shincheonji, which has been identified as a cause of COVID-19 spread, especially when compared to Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's response. There are claims that Mayor Kwon is cautious because of Shincheonji.

On the 2nd, when Lee Man-hee, the head of Shincheonji, held a press conference at the Shincheonji Church's Gapyeong training center regarding the COVID-19 situation, Governor Lee visited the site and pressured Lee Man-hee to undergo COVID-19 testing, raising the pressure to the highest level.

At that time, Governor Lee instructed officials to investigate Lee Man-hee and requested police support. He also mentioned the possibility of 'arresting Lee Man-hee in flagrante delicto' based on the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act. Overall, Governor Lee's response to Shincheonji can be seen as a tough stance compared to Mayor Kwon's approach.

Additionally, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon filed complaints against Lee Man-hee and 12 branch leaders with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges including murder, injury, and violation of the Infectious Disease Control Act, leading to further criticism that Mayor Kwon's response is relatively passive.

In response, Mayor Kwon emphasized at a COVID-19 regular briefing on the 6th, "We have already closed all facilities and are strictly monitoring them since the 18th when the first confirmed case appeared."

He continued, "Officials wearing protective suits thoroughly investigated inside the facilities, fearing there might be people inside," and reiterated, "In this situation, administrative orders are ineffective. We have done everything, proactively secured the list, and are managing the situation."

The Army 2nd Operations Command conducted a large-scale disinfection and sterilization in the Hanmaeum Apartment area in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, which is under cohort isolation, for the first time among collective residential facilities on the 9th. The 2nd Operations Command will carry out disinfection activities in this area three times a week for the time being. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, recent revelations that Hanmaeum Apartment is a Shincheonji communal residence have raised criticism that Daegu City's response was too slow.

The first confirmed case at Hanmaeum Apartment appeared on the 19th of last month, the day after the 31st confirmed case. Hanmaeum Apartment, consisting of 100 households in two buildings, is located inside the Daegu Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, unlike other general apartments.

Because of this, when quarantine authorities enter for specimen collection, the management department, Daegu City Comprehensive Welfare Center, should easily be aware, but the city has been criticized for failing to confirm this.

The welfare center reported to Daegu City that "quarantine authorities wearing protective suits are conducting specimen tests on residents." On the 24th of last month, 13 confirmed cases emerged in a cluster, and by the 5th, the number of confirmed cases reached 46. The welfare center reportedly submitted similar situation reports in writing to the Daegu City Health and Welfare Bureau afterward.

Subsequently, on the 4th, Daegu City formed a joint epidemiological investigation team to conduct a believer survey and imposed 'cohort isolation' on all residents. On the 5th, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined for a second epidemiological investigation, designating a total of 142 people as subjects for management. Daegu City publicly disclosed this information for the first time on the 7th.

Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu [Yonhap News Archive Photo]

These facts have led to criticism that Daegu City was slow to respond from the first confirmed case to the cohort isolation. Ultimately, this was the first time in South Korea's COVID-19 crisis that an entire apartment complex was cohort isolated, revealing that among the 142 residents, 94 were Shincheonji members, and all 46 confirmed cases belonged to Shincheonji.

At a regular briefing on the 7th, Mayor Kwon stated, "After an in-depth investigation of the residential distribution of COVID-19 confirmed cases, we confirmed that 94 residents of Hanmaeum Apartment were Shincheonji members. No one could have known this before detailed data analysis," acknowledging that the connection between Shincheonji and Hanmaeum Apartment was not identified in advance.

Meanwhile, Daegu City issued a final warning to Shincheonji believers among the first group of management targets who have not undergone testing.

On the 9th, Mayor Kwon said, "Among the first group of management targets, 50 Shincheonji believers who were ordered by administrative order to undergo diagnostic testing have still not been tested," and warned, "If they do not get tested by today, they will be immediately reported."

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