Quote
There have been 22 clusters at hospitals in Daegu, with 18 of them triggered by Shincheonji followers. According to some analysts, nine out of 10 COVID-19 cases are linked to Shincheonji. "We've determined that about 93% of total cases around the country are connected with Shincheonji," one government official said. Jung, the KCDC director, responded to this estimate as follows: "Adding the cases of second- and third-generation transmission from [Shincheonji] believers would obviously cause [the percentage] to greatly increase, but we're not able to provide those figures yet."
QuoteThe KCDC said a joint investigation team consisting of health authority officials and forensic analysis specialists from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office conducted a search of the Shincheonji headquarters located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, as municipalities have claimed that the lists of worshipers supplied by it were different from those each local government obtained from the church's branches.
This has raised suspicions that the church omitted information about some members when reporting to the government and municipalities.
Quote"I found out that my two daughters became Shincheonji followers and quit their jobs and dropped out of school," Kim Gui-ja, 54, said. "My daughters said life in this world is no longer important because the world will be reorganized among Shincheonji believers. They also said Lee Man-hee is God and believing him can lead to eternal life."
QuoteA man who contracted the virus along with his mother, wife and two children wrote an emotional, lengthy post on Facebook asking people to stop blaming them. "I didn't know my mother was a follower of Shincheonji [church]," he wrote. He went on to defend his wife, a nurse, who had been criticised for visiting so many places during her incubation period.
The husband said her job was to accompany people with physical disabilities to clinics for appointments, and she had no idea she had the virus.
QuoteKorea's infection tally rose Monday as government officials went down a list of Shincheonji worshippers and tracked their movements, a process that's been going on for a couple of weeks - and extensively in the past couple of days - since a mid-aged female Shincheonji adherent in Daegu, Patient No. 31, tested positive for the virus on Feb. 18.
Patient No. 31 was the first known case linked to Shincheonji's church in Daegu, and more than 2,000 infections have been traced to the same church building since, either in churchgoers or people who contacted them
QuoteA 34-year-old Shincheonji member opened the cafe and operated it during self-isolation was confirmed positive for the virus on the same day. Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, filed a complaint with the police against the man on charges of violating the law on prevention and management of infectious diseases.
QuoteCritics have compared Lee's massive outdoor events before rapt fans to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's propaganda rallies, and say Lee uses Jesus as "a front" for what is really worship of him. Lee hosts his own Olympiad with military-style guards where followers dress in the same colour waving his trademark folding fan.
QuoteEach "holy disciple" is required to convert at least one believer every year. Anyone who fails to do so is required to pay up 1.1 million Korean won (US$920) as an offering to make up for the lost headcount, according to former Shincheonji members cited by the researcher....
Angel said despite the controversy and accusations against Shincheonji her faith had not been shaken. "I'm saddened to see there are so many bad things said about us," she said. "It is unfortunate that we are now known in such a way, but it doesn't bother me because at least everyone in the world has heard the name Shincheonji."
QuoteThere are also growing voices calling for the investigation of Lee Man-hee, chairman of the General Assembly of Shin Cheon-ji, who was reported by the prosecution yesterday.
Channel A reports confirmed that Chairman Lee Man-hee has already been banned from leaving the country.
Reporter Lee Dong-jae, who is entering and entering the legal system, reported whether the prosecution could conduct a forced investigation into Shincheon-ji.
[Report]
The nation's Shincheonji Victims and Natural Resources Agency yesterday filed a complaint against Lee Man-hee, the president of the Future United Party, with the prosecution accusing him of defamation.
Lee also asked for a ban on Lee's departure, saying, "He falsely claimed that he had built the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the Future United Party.
[Park Sung-joong / Rep. of the Future United Party]
We have requested a travel ban to secure Lee Man-hee`s new recruits."
However, Channel A's coverage confirmed that Lee is already banned from leaving the country.
In December 2018, he was accused of embezzling 10 billion won worth of funds from Shincheonji, which was banned from leaving the country by the Anyang District Prosecutors' Office of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigating the case.
The prosecution is able to secure Lee's personal health at any time.
As soon as the prosecution filed a complaint against the Shincheonji Damages and Natural Resources Agency yesterday, it immediately assigned the case to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office.
The prosecution, which mentioned the gravity of the issue over an unusually swift dividend, launched an investigation today, the day after the accusation, with the accuser summoned.
Meanwhile, the Daegu Metropolitan Government also filed a complaint today against the church, claiming that Shinchonji tricked the government into causing confusion in the quarantine of infectious diseases.
If the new Chunji is not fully prepared for the new list, it is predicted that a large-scale forced investigation will take place.
QuoteAsked if he had been tested for the coronavirus, Lee said, "I was told to take the test, but I don't know what has happened. They said I tested negative, but I don't know what negative means. I take an influenza vaccine shot every year, and if I get influenza, I shouldn't meet other people."
The moderator of the press conference intervened and clarified that Lee was tested at a hospital and was negative. The assistant started feeding answers to him when he became incoherent, and church officials rushed to end the press conference. Lee insisted on continuing, but the officials ended the session and took questions instead.
QuoteLee, who is hard of hearing, took questions from reporters as a female assistant stood next to him and repeated them with occasional whispered prompts. When one reporter asked Lee when he arrived at the retreat, the assistant was heard telling him, "You can tell them you arrived here on the 17th last month." Lee absentmindedly said. "My job doesn't allow me to stay put, so I just moved around." But the assistant whispered, "Just tell them you stayed here."
QuoteThe government views this week and next week as critical for the country's containment strategy, given the 14-day incubation period of the virus. The religious sect's last service at its Daegu branch was held Feb. 16 before it was shut down.
Two Shincheonji followers had visited the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, the authorities said, and a further epidemiological investigation is underway. One of them tested positive for the virus. The government has yet to identify how the mass infections among the Shincheonji followers began.
Quote"Women in their 20s-30s reportedly make up a large amount of Shincheonji followers, and it is showing in the high percentage of COVID-19 cases in those age groups," KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong said at a news briefing. Local reports have said Shincheonji targets younger people aggressively with clandestine evangelistic activities, and that nearly 60 percent of its worshippers are thought to be in their 20s and 30s.
One possible explanation for the greater number of infections among women can be found in Korea's patient No. 31, a 61-year-old female Shincheonji follower who contracted the first identified infection within the church. She is suspected to have spread the virus at church services she attended in Daegu. Observers say it is likely that she was in contact with more female church members, as men and women sit separately at Shincheonji services.
QuoteLee Man-hee, president of the Shincheon Branch School, is the key person in charge of the incident and should immediately take action to resolve the problem.
Corona 19 confirmed 813 people were added in a day, surpassing 3,000 in 40 days. The public's concern is deepening.
As of 9 a.m. yesterday, 1,557 confirmed cases of Daegu Church in Sincheonji, and 2,724 confirmed cases in Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province, which is 86.5 percent of the total confirmed cases.
In addition, the number of Confucian scholars in Sincheon is expected to increase significantly in the future.
There are 17 deaths, and there are confirmed cases of infection, even if they are not in close contact for
With the situation so serious and urgent, where on earth are the leaders of the new world, including Lee Man-hee, who is in charge of the incident?
During a televised debate last Thursday night, I said, 'I have to deal with Lee Man-hee first.' It's clear once again.
Lee Man-hee and other leaders of Sincheonji should immediately come out of hiding and apologize to the public, and cooperate with the quarantine authorities, including not only himself, but also the entire congregation.
Those who are familiar with the inner situation of Sincheonji say that the influence of General Assembly President Lee Man-hee is beyond imagination among Sincheonji believers. Lee Man-hee must step up because "the church will follow Lee Man-hee's instructions rather than the government."
The city government has already sent an official letter to the officials in Sincheon and urged them to carry it out as soon as possible.
If General Assembly President Lee Man-hee fails to take necessary measures, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will file a criminal complaint against him for crimes of unintentional murder.
In this regard, I ask Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol.
It is the role of the prosecution now to arrest General Assembly President Lee Man-hee, who is responsible for the virus' epicenter that threatens the lives of the people.
In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government asked the Minister of Health and Welfare to provide the following data in accordance with the provisions related to the infectious disease management law.
1) Information of mobile communication base stations within a 1 kilometer radius around the church in Sincheon-ji, Daegu, around the time of worship attended by the confirmed person No. 31.
2) Information of mobile base stations within a 1 kilometer radius of Cheongdo Daenam Hospital during Lee Man-hee's funeral
3) Out of 28,317 believers in Sincheonji provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in the text, 3 or more users and location information from the same base station to the present day from 2.0.
With the above three information, we can accurately identify the worshippers of Sincheonji, Daegu, and the funeral of the South Korean hospital, as well as the places where the worshippers of Sincheonji still meet secretly after the closure of the chapel and office.
The core responsibility for this incident lies with the leadership of Lee Man-hee and Shin Chun-ji, and should be clearly held accountable.
Otherwise, the city will use all its authority and means, as it has already warned.
Quote... It is the role of the prosecution now to arrest General Assembly President Lee Man-hee, who is responsible for the virus' epicenter that threatens the lives of the people. In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government asked the Minister of Health and Welfare to provide the following data in accordance with the provisions related to the infectious disease management law. ...
QuoteThe Seoul City government filed complaints with the prosecution against Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee and 12 branch heads alleging murder, inflicting injuries and violation of the law on the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
QuoteThe Justice Ministry on Saturday said 42 people of the Shincheonji sect visited Wuhan from July last year to February this year, according to an exhaustive search of the travel records of 244,743 followers. .... Shincheonji continues to deny that followers visited Wuhan, where the sect had a branch. "As we revealed already, none of the 350 followers of our church in Wuhan, China came to Korea since December.
Quote... he has been sending messages to worshippers. In his latest letter, the leader proclaimed that the ongoing virus outbreak is the "great tribulation" that the Bible's Book of Revelation predicted in the final days before the end of the world, a local newspaper reported.
QuoteLee Man-hee, the founder and leader of a messianic Christian church at the center of South Korea's explosive outbreak, refused to be tested for the new coronavirus after claiming he was negative at a public appearance Monday afternoon. ...
Asked by reporters if he could confirm he was virus negative, Lee replied he didn't know "what it means to be negative," but that he had "gotten a flu shot." ...
Lee said he was sorry for "some of the church members" who have been uncooperative and contributed to the spread of the virus.
"What needed to come from Lee today was not a message to the public, but to his followers," Tark Ji-il, a Shincheonji scholar and religious studies professor at Busan Presbyterian University, told The Korea Herald. "Lee holds absolute authority in the church. One word from him could make followers who still can't be reached as we speak show up and cooperate," he said. "He can tell his followers to do just that, and yet he didn't."
QuoteThe rapid proliferation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in 13 deaths and 1,766 confirmed cases in South Korea as of February 27th. Shincheonji Church so far has nearly 500 members confirmed positive to the virus and as a result has become the target discrimination and defamation. Several media outlets in South Korea have spread inaccurate and unfounded pseudo reports not from a source at Shincheonji but instead from sources backed by organizations who have had hostilities towards Shinchonji.
Here are the facts:
Back on Feb. 19, South Korean President Moon Jae-In stated that a full survey and diagnosis of Shincheonji members were necessary. On Feb. 25, Shincheonji Church handed a list of 210,000 members to health authorities with the condition of protecting their identities. On Feb. 26, health authorities began telephone surveys and tests for those who had symptoms.
Chosun Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, reported that 5 people with pneumonia were found positive at the virus test by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters before any Shincheonji member was involved. The medical community noted that the COVID-19 cases had already proliferated before the infection of members of Shincheonji Church.
Shincheonji Church, recognized across the world in 2019 for their graduation of 100,000 students in a free bible seminar, Zion Mission Center has since been provocative in Korean society, mostly because its rapid growth in the past decade. ...
QuoteOn April 7 this year, Mannam held a concert fundraiser for Al Noor, a predominantly Muslim orphanage in South Africa that works with children infected with HIV. Nearly five months after the event had taken place, Al Noor still didn't know Mannam had thrown the event for them and they hadn't received any money.
QuoteSo, his press girl called and asked me to do a write-up here, obviously hoping the great event would get that coveted "Orange Juice Bump." She explained that Man Hee teaches that the world has already ended – long ago – and that we are now all in the afterlife. She said this would make a lot more sense once I hear Man Hee explain it in person. Then she begged me, whatever I write, to "Please treat Man Hee with respect."
Mistake. "I'm sorry, young lady, you called the wrong blog. We don't do the respect thing here."
"Well, then, please don't write anything about him at all."
"Sorry. Too late." Click.
QuoteA Mannam member from Saudi Arabia, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that this is the type of work in which he is interested. .... A student from Turkey, who only gave his first name, Kamal, was moved by the number of people who gathered at the event to remember and share in the sufferings of people miles away.