"In-Person Worship in This Situation? Korean Churches Symbolizing Dislike"

Some Churches Persist with In-Person Worship After COVID-19 Outbreak
Last Year, Cluster Infections Occurred in Churches
Protestant Favorability at 6% This Year... Lowest Among All Religions
"Ordinary Believers Suffer Because of Some Churches," Citizens Complain

Last August, after a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred, officials are leaving the entrance of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, after completing disinfection work. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "They violated quarantine rules at the church again.", "What are they thinking in this situation? It's really frustrating."

As the fourth wave of COVID-19 shows no signs of subsiding, some churches have been repeatedly violating quarantine rules by holding in-person services, drawing public criticism. There have even been cases of mass infections occurring at churches that insisted on holding services, leading to increasingly cold public sentiment toward Protestantism. Experts pointed out that the deviant behavior of some groups within churches has negatively affected Christianity as a whole.

In the Seoul metropolitan area, the highest level 4 social distancing measures have been in effect since the 12th of last month. Initially, in-person activities such as worship services, masses, and Buddhist ceremonies at religious facilities were allowed at 10% capacity, up to a maximum of 19 people, but since the 6th of this month, the limit has been expanded to a maximum of 99 people.

However, despite these quarantine guidelines, some churches in the metropolitan area have repeatedly held large-scale in-person worship services with over 100 congregants. For example, Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon serves as the senior pastor, has held a total of five large-scale worship events since the first weekend after the implementation of level 4 measures on the 18th of last month.

Pastor Jeon's side even warned of a 'counteraction,' stating that if Seoul city forcibly closes the church facilities, they would take to Gwanghwamun Square to conduct a nationwide Gwanghwamun worship service for "the repentance of the Korean government and the restoration of Korea."

As Sarang Jeil Church continued to defy quarantine rules by holding in-person services, Seongbuk-gu delivered a facility closure order to the church at 5 p.m. on the 19th. The district proceeded to close the church on the 20th.

As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, churches that violate quarantine rules and insist on in-person worship continue to appear. Last year, some churches also clashed with the government and local authorities by pushing ahead with in-person activities.

Sarang Jeil Church, closed due to a cluster infection outbreak last year / Photo by Yonhap News

For instance, Busan city issued assembly restriction orders and conducted crackdowns from August to September last year, but during this period, 128 churches were caught holding secret on-site worship services and received assembly prohibition orders.

There have also been cases where in-person worship led to mass infections. The mass infection that started at Sarang Jeil Church in August last year saw the cumulative number of confirmed cases approach 800 within less than a month. At that time, the church spread false information through its YouTube channel and church publications, claiming things like "If a confirmed case appears, it will be announced that all are Sarang Jeil Church cases," thereby obstructing epidemiological investigations by health authorities, which sparked controversy.

Given this situation, public sentiment toward Protestantism has grown cold.

A 20-something office worker, A, who heard about the church's quarantine violations through the news, said, "Small business owners and self-employed people are all suffering, so seeing them openly hold in-person worship services is irritating. Isn't it too selfish?" He added, "I didn't have any particular feelings about Christianity before, but lately, my opinion has turned negative."

There are also voices expressing difficulty in openly identifying as Christian due to the cold public gaze toward churches. B (31), who has been practicing faith since childhood following their parents, said, "These days, it's hard to say you go to church anywhere. People don't say it openly, but I feel like everyone looks at you strangely, which is tough." They lamented, "Because some churches with wrong ideas keep causing controversies, even ordinary believers feel like they are all being criticized."

Notice informing that church worship activities will be switched to online due to the spread of COVID-19. / Photo by Yonhap News

Public favorability toward Protestantism has significantly declined compared to the past. According to a 'Korean Gallup' survey on 'Religious Awareness of Koreans' conducted nationwide among 1,500 people aged 19 and older in March and April, only 6% of non-religious respondents expressed favorability toward Protestantism. This was the lowest among domestic religions such as Buddhism and Catholicism.

Favorability toward Protestantism has steadily worsened year by year. In the same survey in 2004, it recorded 12% favorability, which dropped to 10% in 2014, and further declined to a single digit of 6% in 2021.

Experts pointed out that the deviant behavior of some groups within churches conflicts with societal norms as a whole.

Jung Deokhyun, a cultural critic, said, "Because some churches ignore or violate government quarantine guidelines, the public has developed negative feelings. However, currently, the public is not negative toward Christianity as a whole but is criticizing specific groups within Christianity that clash with society," he emphasized.

He added, "Freedom of religion and worship is a precious fundamental right that must be protected, but in the special situation of an infectious disease, it is necessary to remember that some mutual concessions are required."

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