Sarangjeil Church Forces In-Person Worship Again... "If Facilities Are Closed, We Will Go to Gwanghwamun"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, forced in-person worship services again on the 25th, following last weekend.

Sarang Jeil Church held an in-person main worship service from 11 a.m. that day. Seoul City and Seongbuk-gu officials planned to visit the site to check the in-person worship situation but were unable to properly verify the worship site due to obstruction by the church.

On the 18th, Sarang Jeil Church had forced an in-person worship service despite the prohibition under the Level 4 social distancing measures. As a result, the district office ordered a suspension of operations (from July 22 to 31) and imposed a fine of 1.5 million won. The church filed for a suspension of execution at the Seoul Administrative Court, but it was dismissed on the 24th.

Last April, Sarang Jeil Church also violated Seoul City's assembly ban order and held on-site worship services, leading to prosecution and ongoing trials. In August last year, the church experienced a COVID-19 cluster infection involving hundreds of people, resulting in a two-week facility closure.

At around 10:30 a.m. that day, the church held a press conference in front of the church, claiming, "Issuing an assembly ban on the church as if it were an entertainment establishment is an irrational and inequitable measure and a malicious persecution of the church." They added, "If Seoul City orders facility closure due to today's worship, we will head to Gwanghwamun Square to officially start the 'National Gwanghwamun Worship for the Repentance of the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Restoration of Korea.'"

They also demanded the complete withdrawal of the ban on worship services and called for the National Assembly to conduct a COVID-19 state audit and special investigation.

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