Seoul City Files Compensation Lawsuit Following Criminal Complaint Against Shincheonji

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 24th that it has filed a civil lawsuit for damages and a criminal complaint against Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) for their non-cooperation in quarantine efforts related to the COVID-19 cluster infections.

According to Seoul City, it filed a lawsuit for damages at the Seoul Central District Court with Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, as the plaintiff and Shincheonji Church of Jesus (representative Lee Man-hee) as the defendant.

The claim amount was 201 million KRW. When the claim amount in a civil lawsuit exceeds 200 million KRW, the case is tried by a panel of three judges. A Seoul city official explained, "The basis for the damages claim is that Shincheonji did not actively respond to COVID-19 prevention and obstructed quarantine efforts," adding, "The exact total amount including quarantine costs needs to be calculated, but it definitely exceeds 200 million KRW, which qualifies for a panel trial."

Earlier, Seoul City submitted a criminal complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Shincheonji for obstructing quarantine efforts and causing a widespread cluster infection, and is currently awaiting the scheduling of witness or complainant investigations.

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