BTJ Yeolbang Center 'Facility Closure' for a Month... Sangju City Faces Controversy Over Neglecting Safety of Missionaries and Their Children

Religious Investigation Team Urges Lifting of Administrative Order Following Missionaries' 'Logistic Support' Provided

BTJ Yeolbang Center view.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] The city of Sangju in Gyeongbuk, which issued an 'indefinite' facility closure order on January 7th for the Christian professional missionary organization 'InterCP' BTJ World Center, has found itself in a difficult situation.

As the administrative order enters its second month, overseas missionaries and their children staying at the center have been left unprotected, raising concerns about their safety. Meanwhile, a city-wide petition movement to shut down the corporation is underway, leaving the local government caught in a dilemma, unsure of how to proceed.

This situation is criticized as stemming from Sangju City's decision to impose an unspecified 'facility closure' period, riding on the wave of deteriorating public opinion at the time, even at the risk of violating the 'principle of proportionality.'

Typically, a 'facility closure' order is issued for two weeks, after which follow-up measures can be taken based on epidemiological investigations and quarantine violation investigations. However, the emotional response appears to have only fueled local conflicts further.

At that time, Sangju City identified the religious group as the cause of the third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), issuing a gathering ban on January 3rd, followed by a facility closure order three days later on the 7th.

According to the order, financial and administrative 'logistic' support for about 1,400 missionaries active overseas was completely halted. Additionally, about 20 children being cared for inside the World Center were left unattended, unable to attend kindergarten or school.

In response to this situation, a fact-finding team composed mainly of the International Christian Heresy Countermeasures Council and the Korea Pastors Missionary Council pressured Sangju City and Gyeongbuk Province by urging the lifting of the World Center's facility closure through advertisements in major national newspapers on the 8th.

The fact-finding team's announcement, conducted from January 26th to February 3rd, summarized that ▲the gathering at the time was a legal assembly reported to Sangju City, ▲allegations of falsified attendee lists were untrue, and ▲the group was not uncooperative with government quarantine efforts.

Sangju City currently states that it has no choice but to wait for the court's decision on the 'injunction to suspend facility closure' lawsuit filed by InterCP BTJ World Center.

A Sangju City official said, "We had no choice but to issue the facility closure order because the World Center did not cooperate with requests to provide personal information of assembly participants," adding, "At this point, we have no option but to await the court's judgment on the center's injunction lawsuit."

In response, a World Center representative emphasized, "Putting aside all misinformation about the center, we earnestly request the lifting of the facility closure order for the sake of normal support for overseas missionaries and care for the missionary children being protected."

BTJ Yeolbang Center Overseas Mission Team Activity Scenes.

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