Sarangjeil Church, Potential COVID-19 Epicenter? Gyeonggi Province Urges "Epidemiological Investigation and Submission of Lists"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has urged 'Sarang Jeil Church' to actively cooperate with epidemiological investigations and the submission of lists.

On the 16th, Gyeonggi Province expressed concern through a statement by provincial spokesperson Kim Hong-guk, saying, "Unfortunately, the current spread of COVID-19 is facing a serious phase that could escalate into a 'second large-scale outbreak,'" and "the highest number of new confirmed cases since the outbreak in the province have been occurring daily."

He continued, "Among the 77 new confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province today (16th), 43 were related to attendance at Sarang Jeil Church gatherings, accounting for more than half of the total," and pointed out, "The regional infections are attributed to the Gwanghwamun rally organized by Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk, Seoul on Liberation Day yesterday, as well as signature campaigns in Gyeonggi areas such as Seongnam and Goyang."

Spokesperson Kim particularly noted, "We have received the list of participants in the Gyeonggi area gatherings from the church and are cross-checking it with actual data, but discrepancies have been found," and added, "There are also frequent cases of non-cooperation with quarantine measures such as self-isolation."

He further analyzed, "Considering the recent increase, outbreak patterns, submission of false lists, and non-cooperation with quarantine, there is a very high risk of a large-scale infection similar to the Shincheonji outbreak in Daegu and Gyeongbuk earlier this year occurring in the metropolitan area."

He emphasized, "As we have sufficiently experienced in previous cases, infections through gatherings are a 'nuclear bomb' that cause explosive community infections through secondary and tertiary transmissions, not only among attendees."

Therefore, Spokesperson Kim strongly urged, "We strongly call on Sarang Jeil Church to immediately submit the full list of believers and participants in the Gwanghwamun rally, as well as the list of signatories obtained at Yatap Hwajeong Station and other locations to Gyeonggi Province."

He also requested, "Please cooperate with all epidemiological investigations and quarantine measures of the province," warning, "If there is non-cooperation, Gyeonggi Province will mobilize all its authority to enforce compliance."

Additionally, he stated, "Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon should be held responsible for ignoring government warnings and causing the second wave of COVID-19, and it is appropriate to revoke his bail and re-arrest him to prevent further spread of infectious diseases," and added, "Gyeonggi Province agrees with the president’s policy to strictly punish obstruction of quarantine and the government’s prosecution of Pastor Jeon, and will actively support and cooperate at the provincial level."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province views the coming days as critical to the success or failure of the COVID-19 crisis response and has decided to maintain an emergency system and enforce administrative orders even during holidays.

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