Seoul City to Claim 500 Million KRW in Compensation from Sarang Jeil Church Next Week...

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, who was treated for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and discharged, is holding a press conference on the 2nd in front of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to file a lawsuit next week seeking 500 million won in damages against Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu and its senior pastor, Jeon Kwang-hoon. The charges are for triggering the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) by not complying with quarantine guidelines and obstructing quarantine activities such as refusing diagnostic tests.

According to Seoul City on the 4th, the city plans to submit a complaint next week claiming part of the amount that can be clearly calculated at this stage for the costs borne by local governments, including treatment and testing expenses for confirmed cases related to the COVID-19 outbreak originating from Sarang Jeil Church.

The city is also considering claims for damages related to other administrative costs incurred for COVID-19 epidemiological investigations, costs due to reduced tax revenue, costs from decreased use of public transportation such as buses and subways, and increased resident support funds due to the COVID-19 resurgence. After collecting specific data and conducting legal reviews, the city intends to pursue all possible claims against Sarang Jeil Church.

However, since it takes time to calculate these indirect costs, they are not expected to be included in the first complaint to be submitted next week.

Kim Woo-young, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, stated, "We will hold Sarang Jeil Church accountable for missing the opportunity to prevent the initial spread due to their violation of quarantine rules," and added, "the government, the National Health Insurance Service, and Seoul City combined could recover or claim about 15 billion won through lawsuits."

Earlier, on the 31st of last month, the National Health Insurance Service announced its plan to file a lawsuit seeking damages amounting to 5.5 billion won against Sarang Jeil Church and others, calculating the portion borne by the Service (80%) of the medical expenses for 1,035 confirmed cases originating from Sarang Jeil Church (6.325 million won per person).

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