Sarangjeil Church: "Facility Closure is a Violation of Basic Rights... Suspension of Effectiveness Needed"

Seongbuk-gu "Request Withdrawal First"
Court to Decide Possibly Within This Week

Seoul Seongbuk-gu Sarang Jeil Church view [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Sarang Jeil Church has appealed to the court to suspend the enforcement of the facility closure orders issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongbuk District Office on the condition that they comply with quarantine rules.

The legal representative of Sarang Jeil Church stated at the hearing for the injunction application held on the 25th at the Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 14 (Chief Judge Sanghoon Lee), "Facility closure is a serious infringement of fundamental rights." He argued, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's official conclusion is that there was no infection through in-person worship," and "In-person worship does not have a significant impact on public welfare." He also emphasized, "We will use self-testing kits and prevent unspecified individuals from entering the church by utilizing QR codes and the Safe Code system."

The legal representative of Seongbuk District Office countered during the hearing, "Unlike other churches, Sarang Jeil Church outright refused to follow the guidelines and forcibly held worship services," and "Instead of applying for an injunction, it is appropriate to request the lifting of the closure order if circumstances change." He further stressed, "Sarang Jeil Church is not being sanctioned because it is disliked; other churches receive the same sanctions."

The court announced that after reviewing the submitted documents and holding consultations, it will decide whether to suspend the enforcement. Considering that worship services are held on Sundays, a conclusion is expected as early as during the week.

Earlier, despite the prohibition of in-person worship under the social distancing Level 4, Sarang Jeil Church continued to hold in-person worship every Sunday, receiving two suspension orders but ignoring them and continuing in-person worship. As a result, on the 19th of this month, they received a facility closure order. In response, Sarang Jeil Church filed an administrative lawsuit and applied for an injunction to suspend the enforcement of the facility closure order until the court's ruling is issued.

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