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SEOUL: The metropolitan government of the South Korean capital Seoul said on Friday (September 18) that it would seek 4.6 billion won ($ 4 million) in damages against a church for causing the spread of the coronavirus by disrupting efforts trace and test.
A new wave of infections broke out in a church whose members attended a large protest in central Seoul in mid-August, making it the country’s largest group in the capital area. The outbreak has led to triple-digit increases in daily COVID-19 cases for more than a month.
READ: Defiant South Korean churches face backlash for hindering response to COVID-19
The Seoul city government said it will file a lawsuit against the Sarang Jeil Church and its leader, the Reverend Jun Kwang-hoon, accusing them of disrupting coronavirus testing and providing inaccurate lists of its members which it said aggravated the latter. epidemic.
“The city is trying to hold the church and pastor accountable for contributing to the re-spread of COVID-19 across the country by rejecting and hindering epidemiological surveys or by aiding and inciting such acts, as well as by sending false materials. “he said in a statement. statement.
The Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, head of the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, which is at the center of the new wave of infections, speaks to the media before being jailed outside his church in Seoul, South Korea, September 7, September 2020. Picture taken September 7, 2020. Yonhap via REUTERS / Files
Calls to the church seeking comment went unanswered. Jun, a harsh critic of the government, was jailed again earlier this month for attending the August 15 rally in violation of his bail in April, when he participated in an illegal political protest prior to the parliamentary elections and was charged with breaching the elections. laws.
The group has caused losses to the government totaling at least 13.1 billion won (US $ 11.3 million), including 4.6 billion won in Seoul, the city said.
LEE: South Korea accuses the church pastor as COVID-19 cases increase
The National Health Insurance Service has also said that it will sue the church for compensation worth 5.5 billion won ($ 4.7 million).
The Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency reported 126 new cases as of midnight Thursday, bringing the total infections to 22,783, with 377 deaths.
FILE PHOTO: South Korean police stand guard near the Sarang Jeil Church, which has become a new cluster of coronavirus infections (COVID-19), in Seoul, South Korea, August 21, 2020. REUTERS / Kim Hong-Ji
The numbers, which peaked at 441, have steadily fallen to the hundreds after the government imposed unprecedented restrictions on social distancing late last month.
But authorities were on high alert ahead of a major traditional holiday next week, when typically tens of millions of Koreans travel across the country, urging moderation in travel and gatherings.
“The holiday period will be a crucial time in our anti-virus campaign,” said Yoon Tae-ho, director general of public health policy at the Ministry of Health.
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