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| Sarang Jeil Church members in Seoul holds a press conference outside the church building, Monday. Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, a conservative pastor who organized a massive anti-government demonstration Saturday has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the health authorities, Monday. In response to the demonstration and previous incidents involving Jun, the administration filed a criminal complaint with the police.
"Rev. Jun is now a patient. He should get treatment in isolation. Also, people who came into contact with Jun at the protest should isolate themselves and get tested immediately," a government official said.
The pastor underwent the virus test Monday morning at a local hospital, according to Seoul Metropolitan Government. After being confirmed infected, he was moved to a quarantine ward in the evening.
More than 10,000 people attended the rally in downtown Seoul, during which he gave a speech.
Members of his congregation, followers of the Sarang Jeil Church, have been testing positive for the infection since Aug. 12. On Monday, the number of COVID-19 cases linked to the church soared to 319.
On Sunday, the central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government requested the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to begin a criminal investigation into Jun for failing to isolate himself and encouraging his church members to attend the demonstration. The rally was held illegally, after the government refused to issue a permit for fear of spreading the coronavirus.
Also, the government is accusing Rev. Jun of obstructing its infection control efforts by being slow in handing over personal data on church members.
Replying to the government's accusation, church members defended the pastor saying he never violated quarantine rules.
The new development poses an immense challenge to the quarantine authorities which are now tasked with finding those who attended the protest and getting them tested.
Jun was indicted in March for proffering public support for the conservative party during the election ― a breach of the Election Law ― and was taken into custody until April. Despite the government's warnings against gatherings amid infection worries, he pushed ahead with weekly demonstrations until last Saturday.
Public pressure is mounting, with people calling for him to be put back into detention.
By Monday afternoon, a petition on Cheong Wa Dae's website advocating for his jailing had received more than 200,000 signatures.
"Since being released on bail, he has continued to lead demonstrations and get in the way of the government's infection control efforts," the petitioner wrote. "Many infection cases have been reported from his church, but I don't see him acting to take care of the congregation's health … He needs to go back to prison."
Many disease control experts predict the Sarang Jeil Church will be the center of a super-spreading event, similar to the earlier wave of infections at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu. The government had difficulty getting Shincheonji's cooperation and filed a complaint with the prosecution. Shincheonji head Lee Man-hee was arrested and has recently been indicted.
