"Escaping Social Responsibility" Small Business Owners Announce Collective Lawsuit for Over 10 Billion Won Against Shincheonji

On the afternoon of the 13th, at the Daegu Stadium Mall in Daehung-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, the plaintiff group held up hand placards urging Shincheonji to compensate for damages at a press conference claiming damages for small business owners affected by the Shincheonji COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection) in Daegu and Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Small business owners in the Daegu area have announced plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), holding them responsible for the spread and damage caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 13th, the 'Daegu·Gyeongbuk Shincheonji COVID Damage Compensation Claim Group,' composed of local small business owners, held a press conference at the indoor roller rink inside Daegu Stadium, stating, "We will file a damage compensation lawsuit against the Shincheonji headquarters and Chairman Lee Man-hee as early as this weekend, or by early next week at the latest."

The claim group explained, "The number of members who have joined the social network service (SNS) is expected to soon exceed 1,000, so we plan to file the first lawsuit and continue in units of 1,000 members. We intend to claim damages ranging from 10 million won per business to several hundred million won in total."

They further pointed out, "Shincheonji deceived the quarantine authorities after the COVID-19 outbreak and avoided revealing themselves until the end, fleeing from the damage caused to the public and their social responsibility."

Choi Woong-cheol, the representative of the claim group, said, "Small business owners who suffered damages can participate regardless of their industry. We do not know how many rounds this will take, but considering the number of small business owners, we expect to be able to file dozens of lawsuits in units of at least 1,000 people, and we will proceed accordingly."

The claim group stated that they will compile the damages of members currently registered on SNS through the first round of applications and proceed with the damage compensation claims.

The lawsuit to be filed this weekend or next week will be submitted to the courts in Seoul and Gyeonggi, where the Shincheonji headquarters and corporation are located.

The claim group estimated that the amount claimed in the first lawsuit will exceed 10 billion won.

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