Prime Minister Kim: "Churches Insisting on In-Person Worship Will Face Strict Legal Measures"

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on the 18th, "Some churches in Seoul are forcing in-person worship services, causing concern among the public," and added, "I ask the quarantine authorities to take strict measures according to laws and principles."

On the same day, Prime Minister Kim presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office and said, "Carefully review the court's judgment on in-person worship services and take measures to prevent confusion regarding quarantine rules."

Regarding the three confirmed COVID-19 cases among participants of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) rally held on the 3rd, Prime Minister Kim expressed, "In this severe COVID-19 situation, I deeply regret that confirmed cases have emerged among participants of rallies whom we repeatedly requested to refrain from attending." He continued, "The KCTU should actively cooperate now so that rally participants can immediately undergo testing in accordance with the administrative order for diagnostic testing issued by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency."

Referring to recent incidents where some professional baseball players violated quarantine rules causing the league to be suspended, Prime Minister Kim said, "Although most citizens are actively participating in quarantine efforts, a very small number of deviant acts and lax quarantine awareness are pouring cold water on these efforts," and urged, "I especially request that those in fields with significant public influence take the lead in complying with quarantine rules."

It has been a week since the highest level 4 social distancing measures were implemented in the metropolitan area, yet the daily number of new confirmed cases continues to hover around 1,500. Prime Minister Kim stated, "Now, ahead-of-the-virus quarantine measures are absolutely necessary rather than just keeping up with the virus's transmission speed," and announced, "Starting tomorrow, the limit on private gatherings will be uniformly applied to up to 4 people in regions outside the metropolitan area as well." Detailed rules are expected to be finalized and announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting later today.

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