"Repeated Quarantine Violations"... Seongbuk-gu Orders Closure of Sarang Jeil Church Facilities

Published 19 Aug.2021 20:35(KST)

Conducting In-Person Worship While Under Order to Cease Operations

Lawyer Lee Seong-hee of Sarang Jeil Church is showing the facility closure order received from the Seongbuk-gu Office's Culture and Sports Division to the press in front of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, was shut down after repeatedly violating COVID-19 quarantine rules and forcibly holding large-scale in-person worship services.

Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, delivered a closure order to the church around 5 p.m. on the 19th. Seongbuk-gu plans to close the facility from tomorrow until a separate lifting order is issued. This is known to be a follow-up measure in response to the church forcibly holding in-person worship on the 25th of last month, despite having already received a first suspension order.

Previously, Sarang Jeil Church held in-person worship services for five consecutive weeks starting from July 18. The most recent in-person worship, held on the 15th for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, reportedly attracted approximately 800 believers according to the district office's estimate.

Article 49, Paragraph 3 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act stipulates that if a facility ordered to suspend operations continues to operate during the suspension period, a closure order must be issued. Additionally, managers and operators of facilities ordered to close must comply unless there is a legitimate reason; violations may result in imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million KRW.

Under current guidelines, in-person religious events are partially permitted, but places with a history of violating quarantine rules, such as Sarang Jeil Church, are excluded.