Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, Issues Administrative Order for Diagnostic Testing of Sarang Jeil Church and Gwanghwamun Rally Attendees

Request for Voluntary Testing of Assembly Attendees and Active Encouragement for Close Family and Friends to Get Tested... Cooperation Between Police and Prosecution Needed to Obtain Names of Congregants and Assembly Attendees to Prevent Local Infections

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, recently appealed regarding the Seoul Seongbuk Sarang Jeil Church and the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally, where COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing, stating, “The list of church members and rally participants must be immediately disclosed, and they should actively cooperate with the quarantine authorities' measures.”

On the afternoon of the 21st, Mayor Jung attended a press conference of the National Association of Mayors, County Heads, and District Heads at the National Assembly Communication Office along with Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon, Hwang Myung-sun, Mayor of Nonsan, and Kwak Sang-wook, Mayor of Osan.

At the event, Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Looking at the current confirmed cases, there is concern about the spread of infection from attendees of the Gwanghwamun rally who have not yet been tested. The problem is that those closest, such as family members, are being infected together.” He added, “Rally participants should voluntarily undergo testing, and if they do not, their family or acquaintances should strongly encourage them to get tested. This is directly related to protecting the life and safety of the people themselves.”

Furthermore, he stated, “At the local government level, it is difficult to identify rally participants, causing challenges in responding with quarantine measures,” and emphasized, “The core of K-quarantine is tracing, testing, and treatment. One of the key elements, tracing, is not being conducted. To fundamentally block the source of infection, it is necessary to mobilize all public authority and obtain cooperation from the police and prosecution to provide the list of church members and rally participants.”

Additionally, Seongdong-gu plans to issue an administrative order requiring residents related to Seongbuk Sarang Jeil Church and the Gwanghwamun rally to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing at nearby screening clinics to prevent local infection spread.

According to the statement released by the National Association of Mayors, County Heads, and District Heads on the day, the situation is developing seriously, with a cumulative total of 676 confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church as of the 20th, following the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally, which reportedly involved many church members. Furthermore, additional transmission within the region is spreading widely.

In particular, as attendees infected with COVID-19 at the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally returned to their regions, multiple confirmed cases have been identified in major hub cities such as Suwon, Bucheon, Yongin, Cheonan, Daejeon, and Chungju, according to the association’s own investigation.

The National Association of Mayors, County Heads, and District Heads stated, “During this process, Sarang Jeil Church has not disclosed the list of attendees, and due to partial testing based on voluntary reports, self-statements, and cooperation from event leaders, a full investigation has not been conducted,” adding, “We judge that we are in a critical situation every week where large-scale infections could continue to occur anytime and anywhere.”

They continued, “If church members and participants do not voluntarily report and cause secondary infections, local governments will take strong measures such as legal action and claims for compensation,” and urged, “The government should issue administrative orders related to this matter and take all measures to ensure prompt voluntary reporting, testing, and isolation.”

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