"COVID-19 Cluster Infection" Jeon Gwang-hoon's Church 'Counterattack'... Mass Lawsuits Against Media Outlets and Government Officials

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Sarang Jeil Church, which insisted on holding a rally in Gwanghwamun and became the center of a COVID-19 cluster infection, has launched a counterattack against the critical public opinion.

On the 26th, Sarang Jeil Church held a press conference in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, announcing plans to sue MBC, JTBC, Yonhap News TV, and Hankyoreh Newspaper. The church claims that these media outlets wrote articles based on false information regarding the recent cluster infection at a physical education entrance exam academy near Sarang Jeil Church.

The church stated, "The physical education entrance exam academy located in Bomun-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where the cluster infection occurred, is 35 minutes by public transportation, 21 minutes by car, and 1 hour and 30 minutes on foot from Sarang Jeil Church, so it cannot be considered 'near the church' at all." They added, "By writing articles based on the false fact that it was near the church, the complainant was implied to be the source of the cluster infection at the academy, and posting this on the information and communication network constitutes defamation by false information under the Information and Communications Network Act." Since the report on the 'cluster infection of 18 high school students at an academy near Sarang Jeil Church' on the 19th, some media outlets have used the expression that the academy is near Sarang Jeil Church, which the church claims is defamation.

Additionally, the church filed defamation charges against three individuals, including a reporter from JoongAng Ilbo. They argued that reports claiming a choir member on the Sarang Jeil Church podium did not wear a mask, that the church produced flyers promoting election fraud and made its members purchase them, and that members bought 400 to 600 copies at about 3,000 won each to distribute on the streets are false.

On the same day, Sarang Jeil Church also filed complaints against Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, and Acting Mayor of Seoul Seo Jeong-hyeop for abuse of authority, coercion, and obstruction of worship. The church alleges that the quarantine authorities forced non-face-to-face worship, interfering with the right to hold face-to-face worship as religious freedom, and coerced church members to prevent them from attending face-to-face services. They also claim that on the 23rd, the authorities obstructed worship by announcing a gathering ban order against the church that held face-to-face worship.

Meanwhile, the church requested disclosure of information from the quarantine authorities, demanding the legal and scientific basis for classifying confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church.

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