Even if Worship Is Forced, a Fine of 3 Million Won... Hankichong Sticks to "Forcing Worship"

Seongnam Eunhyeui Gang Church, Dongdaemun Dongan Church, etc.
160 Confirmed Cases Related to Churches Even Without Shincheonji
Health Authorities Take 'Strongest Measure' to Ban Church Gatherings

Soldiers of the 56th Division under the Capital Defense Command are conducting disinfection work on the 3rd at a church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In response to the elevation of the COVID-19 crisis alert to the 'Severe' level, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held an emergency 'Seoul Safety Management Committee' meeting on February 24 and requested cooperation from the Capital Defense Command. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] As sporadic cluster infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to emerge mainly in some churches, health authorities are considering forcibly banning worship services and gatherings, but there are many limitations. Even if the ban is violated, the penalty is only a fine of up to 3 million won, and a large number of personnel must be mobilized for on-site detection.

According to health authorities and local governments on the 17th, even after the government recommended suspending worship services at churches, 30-40% of churches in metropolitan cities and provinces still continue to hold services. As a result, the number of infections related to church worship services is steadily increasing. Excluding the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the confirmed cases related to churches identified so far amount to 160, including 49 at Seongnam Eunhyeui Gang Church, 36 at Busan Oncheon Church, and 24 at Dongdaemun-gu Dongan Church in Seoul.

As the situation did not improve, health authorities took the strong measure of banning church gatherings. At a briefing the day before, Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "There is a legal provision to ban gatherings," adding, "The timing and extent of the ban will be decided after assessing the risk and consulting within the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters."

According to the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act, the Minister of Health and Welfare or local government heads can take measures to prohibit gatherings, ceremonies, or events where many people gather to prevent infectious diseases. They can also block all transportation within the jurisdiction. Violating these measures can result in a fine of up to 3 million won. However, there are criticisms that the punishment is light compared to the risk of cluster infections.

A similar case is the violation of self-quarantine. Previously, even if someone left self-quarantine without permission, they were fined up to 3 million won. As violations increased due to the mild penalty, the National Assembly strengthened the punishment on the 26th of last month from a fine of 3 million won to "imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won." Similarly, voices are emerging calling for legal amendments to strengthen penalties for violating church gathering bans. Additionally, since many personnel must be mobilized for on-site inspections, cooperation from local governments is considered crucial.

Despite several cluster infection cases, Christian organizations still oppose the worship ban. The Korea Church Media Council, affiliated with the Korea Christian Federation, stated, "The demand to suspend all church worship services is uniform and socialist," indicating their intention to continue worship services.

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