"Canceling Weddings and Funerals, So Why 49 Days Memorial?"... Controversy Over Late Park Won-soon's Memorial Ceremony

Organizer: "Will reconsider once public safety is ensured"

Notice posted on the website of the civic group "People Remembering Park Won-soon" (tentative name) on the 21st. The memorial event for the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul, originally planned as a public offline event, was replaced by an online format. / Photo by Internet homepage capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A civic group that was planning to hold the 49th-day memorial ceremony for the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, has canceled its original plan to hold a public event and replaced it with an online event. Earlier, the group faced controversy after it was revealed that they were preparing a public event open to general citizens amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The civic group "People Remembering Park Won-soon" (tentative name) announced on its official website on the 21st that "'The 49th-day Memorial for Former Mayor Park' has been canceled," adding, "Due to the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area, the 49th-day memorial event scheduled for the 26th has been canceled."

They further stated, "The memorial event for Former Mayor Park will be held online, or we will consider resuming it when citizens' safety is ensured," and asked people to refer to the website for further announcements.

Previously, the organizers had announced on the 20th that "the memorial event will be held online, and we are considering resuming it when citizens' safety is ensured."

The event was originally planned to be held on the 26th at Jogyesa Temple in Susong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and was designed as a public event open to all citizens.

However, once the plan became known, some netizens raised concerns, questioning whether it was careless to hold such an event amid the spread of COVID-19.

One netizen on the social networking service (SNS) Twitter posted a captured image of the event schedule, commenting, "COVID is resurging, so what kind of memorial event is this?" Another netizen expressed strong displeasure, saying, "Weddings and funerals are being canceled, so what is this 49th-day memorial for?"

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 21st, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 324, marking eight consecutive days of triple-digit cases since the 14th. The number of new cases exceeding 300 is the first since March, when a cluster infection centered around Shincheonji Church of Jesus members occurred.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has strengthened social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

From midnight on the 21st until the 30th, Seoul has banned all gatherings of 10 or more people throughout the city. Violators, including event organizers and participants, will be reported to the police and may face fines of up to 3 million KRW under the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.

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