"Health Center Worker Forcedly Hugged by Sarang Jeil Church Member, Psychologically Uncomfortable"

Pocheon Health Center Director: "Good Health Condition. Staff Test Results Are Negative"

On the 15th, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church speaking at a rally condemning the government and ruling party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] It has been reported that public health center employees are in a state of psychological shock after a member of Sarang Jeil Church, who tested positive for COVID-19, caused a disturbance by acting violently toward quarantine authorities.

On the 21st, Jeong Yeon-oh, head of the Pocheon Public Health Center, said in an interview with MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focused View," "(The test results of the employees who were victimized) came back negative. Their health condition is good, but psychologically they are not in a comfortable state."

Jeong explained the situation at the time, saying, "(A couple in their 50s) approached our staff, took off their masks, and hugged them. Then they said, 'Now that you are contacts, let's get tested together.' He added, "The reason for such behavior was not explained."

He continued, "I think they are somewhat aware that they were already confirmed positive. I believe they felt some resentment about being the only ones infected, but I don't know the exact details."

He added, "Since the scene was a restaurant, a place of business, the couple said they would come to the public health center for testing, so we transported them to the health center and conducted the tests. Currently, the two are hospitalized," he explained.

Jeong also said, "We are sending notification messages to all those who visited the restaurant operated by this couple. Many people came and went."

He stated, "Protecting our staff and preventing recurrence has become necessary, so the city is also considering filing charges. The governor told us to file charges, and our mayor also said to do so. After consultation, only one of the two institutions will file the charges," he said.

Earlier, on the 20th, according to Pocheon City and quarantine authorities, on the 17th, epidemiological investigation team staff from the public health center visited a Sarang Jeil Church member couple who had attended the Gwanghwamun rally and requested COVID-19 testing.

In response, the couple hugged the public health center staff, touched their arms, and spat around while saying to the staff, "You should get infected too. Since I touched you, you have to get tested."

The public health center requested police assistance to move the couple to a screening clinic for testing, and the couple tested positive for COVID-19 the following day, on the 18th.

The Gyeonggi Province authorities announced that, in consultation with Pocheon City, they will define the couple's actions as obstruction of official duties and proceed with criminal charges.

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