Governor Lee Jae-myung Orders Emergency Administrative Measures: 14-Day Ban on Shincheonji Church Gatherings and Forced Facility Closures

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province has issued emergency administrative orders to forcibly close Shincheonji religious facilities and ban gatherings.

The province views this as an unavoidable measure to protect public safety as confirmed cases nationwide rapidly increase centered around Shincheonji believers.

Governor Lee Jae-myung held a press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building on the morning of Feb. 24 and announced an emergency response plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with these measures.

The governor stated, "Community transmission has recently become evident centered around attendees of the Shincheonji Church gathering in Daegu, and the central government has elevated the response level to 'severe,'" adding, "We must now mobilize all available resources and capabilities to thoroughly screen potential risk areas like a net, moving beyond tracking specific infection sources."

He added, "Gyeonggi Province has decided to urgently issue administrative orders pursuant to Articles 47 and 49 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act."

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province has ordered a 14-day ban on Shincheonji Church gatherings regardless of indoor/outdoor settings or locations within the province.

The province determined there would be minimal disadvantages or damages from the gathering ban order, as Shincheonji has voluntarily expressed its intention to suspend gatherings.

In addition, the province ordered a 14-day forced closure of all gathering-capable facilities managed by Shincheonji Church, including official church facilities as well as gospel rooms and centers.

On Feb. 22, Shincheonji Church publicly disclosed its official church facilities and affiliated institutions, of which 239 facilities were located in Gyeonggi Province. However, according to Gyeonggi Province's investigation through reports from church officials, religious experts, and citizens, as well as data searches, 270 related facilities were identified in the province. Of these, only 111 matched Shincheonji's disclosed data, and 45 were confirmed through on-site inspections to be unrelated to Shincheonji.

The province plans to conduct quarantine and post closure notices for a total of 353 facilities based on its own investigation and those disclosed by Shincheonji Church, and will station civil servants on-site throughout the closure period to enforce the closure orders.

If any facilities subject to closure orders are unrelated to Shincheonji Church, the province will accept objections, verify through immediate on-site inspections, exclude them from the target list, and make this public.

Governor Lee stated, "I inform you that violations of the gathering ban and facility forced closure orders may result in punishment under relevant laws," and urged, "Please continue to report any Shincheonji-related facilities in Gyeonggi Province that we have not yet identified to the Gyeonggi Province Call Center (031-120)." (945 reports received as of 6 a.m. on Feb. 24)

Additionally, Governor Lee formally requested that Shincheonji provide a list of believers with connections to the province, including residential addresses or workplaces.

He stated, "We acknowledge that Shincheonji Church is not the perpetrator but a victim of this cluster infection outbreak," while also saying, "However, as governor responsible for the safety of provincial residents, I had no choice but to make this decision."

He continued, "While sufficiently respecting freedom of religion under the Constitution and individual privacy, we ask for your understanding that this is an unavoidable measure to minimize infection spread. This measure has no purpose other than protecting provincial residents and preventing infection spread."

He added, "For security purposes, information access and use are also possible with Shincheonji-related personnel present," and expressed his hope that "the situation does not escalate to forced measures to secure the list."

Finally, Governor Lee stated, "All Gyeonggi Province civil servants are united in one purpose and mobilizing all administrative capabilities to make efforts for the early end of COVID-19," and pledged to steadfastly fulfill their responsibilities.