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| Local quarantine officials spray disinfectant at the entrance of the Christian church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, which saw 46 confirmed new coronavirus patients, Monday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
A Christian church is becoming another hotbed of COVID-19 infections in the Seoul metropolitan area, as 46 members, including the pastor and his wife, have been confirmed infected, Monday.
The latest development gave critics excuses to be vocal against Protestant churches in Korea, many of which dismissed the quarantine authorities' recommendation for social distancing.
According to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the non-denominational church, called River of Grace, located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, was the biggest religious group infected outside of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
The pastor and his wife were the first to be confirmed last week, followed by 40 members who were confirmed, Sunday.
The government recommended religious groups cancel in-person gatherings last month.
Yet, the pastor in the Seongnam church went ahead with holding Sunday services until March 8. At the service that day, 135 people attended, among whom 46 have been confirmed infected.
The latest infection cluster drew strong vilification from critics.
"They're very selfish. I can't help but consider that they did this intentionally," one wrote on Naver. Another user wrote, "Governor Lee Jae-myeong must close down that church as he did the Shincheonji Church of Jesus."
Shincheonji drew huge criticism from people as it's deemed the main culprit for the new coronavirus pandemic in Korea. The nation's 31st patient was a Shincheonji follower who spread the virus in the gatherings she attended.
People filed an online petition with Cheong Wa Dae asking to disband the sect and pushed the local governments to arrest the founder, Lee Man-hee, without clear charges. The heavy amount of vitriol even caused one Shincheonji follower to commit suicide.
"No matter how much you love God, it doesn't count when you bring harms to neighboring communities," John Kim, a pastor, was quoted as saying about the Christian churches. "Please listen to the government. It doesn't matter how true a Christian you are. It's a moment of crisis, do what you are told to do."
Small infection clusters keep popping up, which is a major quarantine challenge for the authorities.
"In a small place like a church sanctuary, one patient can spread the virus to many people. The government strongly advises people to avoid those gatherings. This is critical for quarantine efforts," Jung Eun-kyeong, the KCDC director said during a press conference on Monday.
The authorities said more than 80 percent of infections reported in Korea occurred through small group infections. Earlier last week, Seoul saw a case where an insurance company's call center employees were massively infected. The case is still developing with more than 120 confirmed patients, including employees, their family members and acquaintances.
PC rooms also became a hotbed for group infections, putting school children at risk who flocked to those facilities when schools closed over fears of further virus spread.
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