'BTJ Yeolbang Center Emergency' Sangju City Adds 4 New Confirmed Cases... Infection Route 'Unclear'

A view of the Christian missionary organization 'Intercop' BTJ World Center located in Hwaseo-myeon, Sangju-si.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 5th, four new confirmed cases were added in Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk, which is on high alert due to a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) linked to a Christian missionary organization.

As a result, the cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Sangju-si increased to 68 as of 8 p.m. on the 5th.

According to Sangju-si, the four newly confirmed cases on this day were not immediately identified as being related to the 'Intercop' BTJ Yeolbang Center, which has recently been pointed out as a nationwide chain infection link.

Among the four, two are a married couple, and another one is known to be a contact of a confirmed relative. The exact infection route of the remaining one is unclear.

Earlier, on the 4th, Sangju-si issued an administrative order for diagnostic testing and prohibition of gatherings for the BTJ Yeolbang Center, which has been producing confirmed cases nationwide. The confirmed cases related to this center have reached a total of 380, centered around churches across the country including Ulsan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Chungbuk, Busan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam.

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