2516 Churches in Seoul Hold 'Easter On-site Services' ... 602 More Than Previous Week

The Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where Jeon Gwang-hoon, the chairman of the Korea Christian Federation, serves as the senior pastor, is holding an Easter on-site service on the 12th while controlling access to outsiders. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] It has been confirmed that more than 2,500 Protestant churches in Seoul held on-site worship services on Easter Sunday, April 12.

On the 13th, Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Culture Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing on the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), "There were significantly more churches resuming worship services on Easter (the previous day) than expected," adding, "Compared to the previous Sunday, April 5, the number increased by 602 to a total of 2,516 churches."

The city inspected 767 churches the day before, including large churches in the city and those that had suspended on-site worship but resumed for Easter. A total of 1,265 personnel, including city and district officials and police officers, were deployed for the inspections.

As a result of the inspections, 36 violations of quarantine rules were found in 20 churches. Head Yoo said, "Violations of the rules were corrected on-site," and added, "Some churches introduced sequential worship services or drive-in worship services."

Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, which was under a ban on gatherings, again forcibly held worship services. Head Yoo stated, "The church refused our (officials') entry to inspect inside the church," and added, "We will file additional charges based on the evidence collected."

However, most entertainment establishments closed their doors following the city's administrative measures.

Na Baek-ju, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau, said, "After inspecting all 4,658 entertainment facilities from April 10 to 12, it was confirmed that 99.9% had ceased operations," and added, "The three establishments that were still operating will be subject to prosecution."

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