The Church Side Tells President Moon to "Stop Treating Religious Organizations as Business Establishments" in Person

President- Protestant Leaders Meeting at Blue House
Church Side: "Religious Freedom Cannot Be Exchanged for Life"
"Cannot Give Up Worship" Government Proposes Cooperation Body with Church

President Moon Jae-in is speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Korean Protestant Church held at the Blue House main building 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 recently made remarks suggesting that "freedom of religion and other rights may be restricted for the sake of public safety and quarantine," which the church side sharply criticized, stating that "freedom of religion is a value that cannot be exchanged even for life."

At a meeting held on the morning of the 27th at the Blue House with invited leaders of Korean churches, Kim Tae-young, co-chairman of the Christian Council of Korea and moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), speaking as a representative of the church, asserted, "We hope government officials do not treat religious organizations such as churches, temples, and cathedrals as business establishments or workplaces."

Referring to President Moon's remarks at the senior secretaries' meeting on the 24th, Kim said, "I believe the president's concern about raising social distancing to level 3 and his emphasis on religious groups cooperating more with quarantine measures are the main points," but added, "I was greatly surprised because it sounded like freedom of religion could be easily restricted by public authority and ordered to be suspended."

He emphasized, "While it may be a hobby for some, for believers who regard faith as life itself, freedom of religion is a value that cannot be exchanged even for life."

Earlier, on the 24th at the senior secretaries' meeting, President Moon stated, "No religious freedom, freedom of assembly, or freedom of expression can be asserted to the extent that it causes such enormous harm to the people."

Kim also criticized President Moon, the government, and the media for not understanding the uniqueness of Christianity. He said, "(The Christian community) does not have a pyramid structure or a centralized hierarchical system," and "It is not an organization that moves in unison just because the council or general assembly gives instructions."

Kim stated, "The church will actively cooperate with the government's quarantine efforts, but it cannot give up on protecting the essence of the church, which is worship," and said that the church will not voluntarily suspend worship services entirely.

He said, "The current form of blocking worship services across all churches will not last long," adding, "This method will be a burden for both the government and the church, and the church will never agree to it." He also noted, "It is practically very difficult for rural churches to hold online worship services," and asked, "Please consider the reality that over 70% of Korean churches are pioneering and rural churches."

At the same time, Kim promised that the church side would actively engage in its own quarantine activities and proposed a cooperative body between the government and churches for this purpose.

He first suggested a 'Church Quarantine Certification System,' saying, "Christian unions, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, and local governments can form a consultative body, and churches that do well in quarantine can be given a quarantine certification mark as a form of differentiation." He explained, "Certified churches would hold on-site worship services according to quarantine figures, and if a certain threshold is exceeded and the spread phase occurs, there would be clear accountability and measures to restrain it."

Kim also proposed a flexible application of the number of attendees based on the seating capacity of the church. He explained, "Depending on the unit area of the church building, a certain number of people can be safe if they practice distancing and wear masks," and added, "For small churches with 40 or 50 attendees, instead of trying to hold worship all at once, holding it twice instead of once, or three times instead of twice, would make distancing more effective."

President Moon Jae-in attended a meeting with leaders of the Korean Protestant Church held at the Blue House main building on the 27th, greeting attendees including Kim Tae-young, co-representative of the Korea Church Federation (right).

◆President Moon Criticized for Saying "Quarantine Is Science, Not Faith... In-Person Worship Continues"

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Moon urged church leaders to set an example in quarantine efforts amid the COVID-19 situation. He also criticized some churches' non-cooperation with quarantine measures, saying it harms not only the health of all citizens but also the credibility of 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 continued, "Worship or prayer may provide peace of mind, but they do not protect against the virus," emphasizing, "Quarantine is not a matter of faith but a matter of science and medicine, and all religions must accept this."

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