"High Number of Confirmed Cases Due to Excessive Testing," Claims Jeon Gwang-hoon Examined

Sarangjeil Church and Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon Appeal in Public Statement
"Disclose Infection Rates and Provide Evidence for Related Group Classification," They Claim
Criticized Health Authorities' Response but Most Claims Lack Evidence and Are Incorrect

Senior Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church <이미지: Yonhap News>

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Sarang Jeil Church and Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon claimed on the 20th that "(the government) is forcing unlimited testing to expand the number of confirmed cases." The church made this statement through a full-page advertisement titled "Public Statement" published in the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, and Munhwa Ilbo on the same day.

The number of confirmed cases related to this church's COVID-19 infections reached 676, making it the second-largest infection cluster in South Korea after Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Since the first patient was identified on the 12th, the number of patients has increased by dozens or hundreds daily. The main point of the church and Pastor Jeon's claim is that the recent surge in confirmed cases is due to the government excessively expanding the pool of people to be tested, naturally increasing the number of patients. They also demanded that the number of confirmed cases be reported as a ratio rather than an absolute number.

Is there any basis for their claim? To conclude, most of the content in their statement on that day was incorrect. First, the church claimed, "On the quarantine authorities' website (omitted), strangely, the daily number of completed tests is not disclosed at all," but this information is included in the daily press releases issued by the Central Disease Control Headquarters. It is data accessible to anyone. The number of diagnostic tests conducted daily, cumulative diagnostic tests, and the daily updated positive and negative results are all posted.

According to the data, a total of 19,019 diagnostic tests were conducted the previous day, of which 288 were confirmed positive, 14,755 tested negative, and 3,976 test results were still pending. The Central Disease Control Headquarters also distributed a press release on that day summarizing the average daily number of tests since May, the average daily positivity rate, and the average number of tests and positivity rate over the past week.

On the 20th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, the scene of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

"Claims of Forced Testing on Those Unrelated to the Church"
Suspicion of False Submission of Church Member and Visitor Lists Remains

The claim that "when one confirmed case appeared at Sarang Jeil Church, people who were not identified as contacts and even those who had not attended the church for years were indiscriminately sent messages forcing them to undergo testing and self-quarantine as if they were mandatory subjects" appears to be a misstep by the church itself. There have been cases where people who were not church members or had never attended the church were contacted by quarantine authorities for diagnostic testing, but this is largely due to the church submitting incorrect lists.

The church stated, "If people related to the church from months ago are called Sarang Jeil Church confirmed cases, it means that, given Korea's close social networks, all confirmed cases nationwide could be said to be related to Sarang Jeil Church after several degrees of separation." However, this seems to be a statement made without understanding the basic facts or procedures of epidemiological investigations. When a patient is identified, a basic epidemiological investigation is conducted based on their activities, locations, and times, and those who may have been exposed are classified as contacts for quarantine or active monitoring. Grouping individuals into one cluster is a comprehensive judgment made by epidemiologists and field response teams.

On the 20th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues, a notice of business suspension is posted at a restaurant near Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The church also criticized the current authorities' response as "rubber-band style quarantine" by comparing it to when confirmed cases appeared among the cast of the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" in April. At that time, when two cast members in Seoul tested positive, about 8,600 audience members were requested to undergo active monitoring, which was possible because various quarantine rules were well observed, including the distance between the stage and the seats. No audience member was confirmed positive. In contrast, related to this church, there were several days of close contact in small gatherings, resulting in many patients.

The church also claimed, "We must firmly respond to the Moon Jae-in government, which is using quarantine as a pretext to stigmatize the church and worship as objects of hatred and to muzzle us, and we must win through prayer." Considering that the church had loosened quarantine measures?making them mandatory after a series of infections through various small gatherings in early last month and then lifting them after about two weeks?there is more evaluation that their quarantine response was lax, making this claim appear to be a one-sided statement with low credibility.

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