President Moon: "Quarantine is Science, Not Faith... Criticism Over Continued In-Person Church Services"

President and Protestant Leaders Invited to Blue House Meeting
Request for Cooperation Amid Church-Originated COVID-19 Resurgence
"Medical Sector Strike Comparable to Soldiers Deserting the Battlefield"

President Moon Jae-in is speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Korean Protestant Church held at the main building of the Blue House on the 27th.
President Moon urged the church to actively cooperate with the government's quarantine efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

President Moon Jae-in met with leaders of the Korean church on the 27th and urged churches to serve as models for quarantine measures amid the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) situation. President Moon criticized some churches for their non-cooperation with quarantine efforts, saying it harms not only the health of the entire nation but also the trust in the Korean church as a whole.

On the morning of the 27th, President Moon held a "Meeting with Leaders of the Korean Church" at the Blue House and stated, "There are incidents occurring in the name of the church that are absolutely incomprehensible by common sense."

President Moon said, "Certain churches have rejected the government's quarantine policies and instead obstructed them, resulting in nearly 1,000 confirmed cases so far, with about 300 confirmed cases linked to gatherings attended by members of those churches. Because of this, Korea's quarantine efforts, which were once praised as a global model, are now facing a crisis, and the entire country is experiencing great difficulties."

He continued, "At this point, they should at least apologize to the public, but instead, they have been brazenly asserting conspiracy theories and loudly opposing government quarantine measures, still refusing to cooperate," strongly criticizing some churches. He also said, "A very small number of unreasonable actions are damaging the trust in the entire Korean church."

President Moon said, "I fully understand the feelings of some churches and believers who insist on in-person worship," but added, "However, the virus does not discriminate based on religion or faith."

He further emphasized, "Worship or prayer may bring peace of mind, but they cannot protect you from the virus. All religions must accept that quarantine is not a matter of faith but a matter of science and medicine."

◆ "Medical workers' strike is like soldiers deserting the battlefield"

President Moon also delivered a strong message criticizing the recent strike by medical professionals. He said, "To make matters worse, the collective action by the medical community is causing anxiety and suffering to the public," comparing the strike to soldiers deserting the battlefield during wartime.

President Moon said, "In wartime, even soldiers who were on leave or out would return to the military and take up arms," adding, "In the current COVID-19 crisis, medical workers leaving the medical field is no different from soldiers deserting the battlefield during wartime." He also said, "To put it another way, it is like firefighters going on strike in front of a massive fire."

President Moon said, "I believe and expect that our medical community will never ignore the suffering of the people caused by COVID-19," emphasizing, "The government, on one hand, will engage in sincere dialogue with the medical community, but on the other hand, it cannot help but act according to laws and principles."

Meanwhile, the meeting was attended by Kim Tae-young, Ryu Jeong-ho, and Moon Soo-seok, co-representatives of the Korea Christian Federation, and Lee Hong-jung, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea. This is the second time since his inauguration that President Moon has invited Protestant leaders for a meeting, following the one on July 3 last year. On the 20th, President Moon also invited Catholic leaders, including Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, to the Blue House for lunch.

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