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| Myung Sung Church has two confirmed patients now. /Korea Times file |
By Kim Se-jeong
Myung Sung Church was scrambling to defend itself Wednesday against critics who are accusing it of being connected to the controversial Shincheonji Church.
This comes after one of its pastors was found to have contracted COVID-19 in Daegu, the epicenter of the outbreak in Korea that mostly affected members of the controversial religious sect.
"Myung Sung Church has nothing to do with Shincheonji," the church wrote in a statement on its website. "Nor does it have anything to do with Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo. The church will respond actively to those who make false accusations."
The pastor visited a funeral hall in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, Feb. 14, to attend a memorial ceremony for a family member of a church acquaintance. Before the pastor placed himself in quarantine Feb. 21, he attended a worship service with 2,000 congregants and had meetings with the church's leadership.
Internet commenters drew a connection between the Myung Sung pastor and Shincheonji, arguing that the pastor visited the funeral hall for Shincheonji founder Lee Nam-hee's brother who died at Daenam Hospital in Chongdo, Jan. 30. The church claims this supposed "connection" was a groundless rumor.
The internet was filled with malignant comments directed at Myung Sung Church.
"I knew Myung Sung was a cult. I am sure the church is lying about the pastors' itinerary. The pastor must have visited Cheongdo to pay his respects to the Shincheonji founder's brother," a commenter with the ID twin**** wrote on web portal Naver.
On Wednesday, a local newspaper reported the pastor's recent activities were fabricated by the church. "The church initially said the pastor attended only one service between Feb, 14 and 21. But it was discovered that he attended eight services. The church apologized, saying it didn't have time to ask the pastor."
Myung Sung Church is one of the biggest churches in the country with almost 80,000 members. The fact that the pastor of such a large church has been confirmed to have the coronavirus has increased fear among residents in the nation's densely-populated capital. The city government is no longer allowing any public demonstrations in the city in an effort to limit the spread of the virus.
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