"Half of COVID-19 Cases Linked to Churches"…Churches Say "Cannot Give Up Worship," Conflict Ensues (Summary)

Church Leaders Invited to Blue House Meeting
President Moon: "Quarantine Is Science, Not Faith," Urges Cooperation
Church: "Religious Freedom Is Like Life... Don't Treat Us as Businesses"
Moon on Medical Workers' Strike: "It's Like Firefighters Striking in Front of Fire"

President Moon Jae-in is being introduced to the attendees at a meeting with leaders of the Korean Protestant Church held at the Blue House main building on the 27th.

President Moon Jae-in met with leaders of the Korean church on the 27th and criticized some churches' non-cooperation with quarantine measures during the COVID-19 situation, saying it harms not only the health of the entire nation but also the credibility of the Korean church as a whole. In response, the church side countered that religious freedom is a value as precious as life itself and that they cannot give up worship. President Moon had previously invited Catholic leaders, including Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, to the Blue House for lunch on the 20th, where the atmosphere was consistently warm, but the tone of this meeting revealed a stark contrast.

◆President Moon: "Quarantine is science, not faith" Repeated calls for cooperation

On the morning of the same day, President Moon held a 'Meeting with Korean Church Leaders' at the Blue House and pointed out the churches' non-cooperation with quarantine, saying, "Half of the COVID-19 resurgence that began in August occurred in churches," and "There are incidents happening in the name of the church that are incomprehensible by common sense."

President Moon said, "Certain churches have rejected the government's quarantine policies and even obstructed them, resulting in nearly 1,000 confirmed cases so far, and about 300 confirmed cases linked to gatherings attended by members of those churches," adding, "Because of this, Korea's quarantine, once hailed as a global model, is facing a crisis all of a sudden, and the entire country is experiencing great difficulties." The 'certain church' mentioned by President Moon appears to refer to Sarang Jeil Church led by Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon.

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

President Moon said, "I fully understand the feelings of some churches and believers who insist on face-to-face 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 do not protect against the virus," and "All religions must accept that quarantine is not a matter of faith but a matter of science and medicine."

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).

◆Church side: "Cannot give up worship... Religious freedom is as precious as life"

After President Moon's opening remarks, the church side responded by saying, "Religious freedom is a value that cannot be exchanged even for life."

Kim Tae-young, co-chairman of the Korea Christian Federation and representative of the church side, stated, "We hope government officials do not treat religious organizations such as churches, temples, and cathedrals as business or commercial establishments," asserting this point.

He especially emphasized in response to President Moon's recent remarks that "religious freedom can be restricted for public safety and quarantine," saying, "While it may be a hobby for some, for believers who regard faith as life itself, religious freedom is a value that cannot be exchanged even for life."

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 the emphasis on religious groups cooperating more with quarantine measures were the main points," but added, "I was greatly surprised because it sounded like religious freedom could be easily restricted by public authority and that worship could be ordered to stop."

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

Kim said, "The church will actively cooperate with the government's quarantine efforts, but it cannot give up protecting worship, which is the essence of the church," and stated that there will be no complete suspension of worship.

He said, "The current form of blocking worship for the entire church 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 said, "It is practically very difficult for rural churches to hold online worship," and asked to consider the reality that over 70% of Korean churches are pioneering or 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 federations, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, and local governments can create 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 can hold on-site worship according to quarantine figures, and if the numbers exceed a certain level and the spread phase occurs, clear responsibility will be demanded and restrictions imposed."

Kim also proposed a flexible application of gathering numbers based on the seating capacity of the church. He explained, "I believe that a certain number of people per unit area of the church, with social distancing and mask-wearing, is safe," and added, "For small churches with 40 or 50 people gathering, they should not try to hold worship all at once but hold it twice if once is usual, or three times if twice is usual, which will make social distancing more effective."

President Moon Jae-in is applauding after listening to the remarks of Kim Tae-young, co-representative of the Korea Christian Federation, at a meeting with leaders of the Korean Protestant Church held on the 27th at the main building of the Blue House.

◆President Moon: "Medical strike is like firefighters striking in front of a fire"

Meanwhile, President Moon also voiced criticism regarding the medical community's collective action on the same day.

President Moon said, "The medical community's collective action is causing anxiety and suffering to the people," and added, "It is no different from firefighters going on strike in front of a massive fire."

He also likened the medical strike to soldiers abandoning the battlefield.

President Moon said, "The world describes COVID-19 quarantine as a war," and "It is the greatest crisis and damage since World War II."

He continued, "In wartime, soldiers who were on leave or out would return to the military and take up arms," and said, "In the current COVID-19 crisis, medical personnel leaving the medical field is equivalent to soldiers deserting the battlefield during wartime."

President Moon said, "I believe and expect that our medical community will never ignore the suffering of the people caused by COVID-19," and emphasized, "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 law and principles."

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