As if I waited… Gangseo-gu office that released the face-to-face worship service of Seegero

As if I waited… Gangseo-gu office that released the face-to-face worship service of Seegero

Input: 2021-01-19 19:25:45Revision: 2021-01-19 19:45:19Posted: 2021-01-19 19:35:22 (p. 8)

The Busan Seegero Presbyterian Church (hereinafter referred to as Seegero Church), which has conducted face-to-face worship with hundreds of people, ignoring the accusations of the quarantine authorities and the facility closure measures, resumed worship after the Gangseo-gu Office in Busan lifted the order to close facilities. Two days after the church violated the infectious disease prevention method by conducting face-to-face worship services, criticism has been raised that the district office canceled the order to close the facility and neutralized its own public power.

According to the Gangseo-gu Office in Busan on the 19th, the Seegero Church in Gangseo-gu, Busan, which was ordered to close the facility on the 12th, was lifted as of 0 o’clock on that day. As a result, Saegero Church can worship up to about 850 people face-to-face. From the 18th, the government has decided to allow worship services up to 10% of the seats.

Face-to-Face Worship Enforcement Church of Water

The court also judged that the facility should be closed

As soon as the government’s quarantine regulations were relaxed

Ward office closed without any restrictions

Seegero Church resumed face-to-face worship as soon as the morning of the day the facility closure was lifted. At the early morning prayer meeting on the 19th, Pastor Sohn Hyeon-bo of Seegero Church said, “From today, we will be able to worship in the church again. If the government enforces unscientific quarantine rules in the future, we will not accept it.”

Meanwhile, Seegero Church has conducted face-to-face worship while ignoring all charges of the quarantine authorities, suspension of operation, and orders to close facilities, but local governments are not imposing proper sanctions. Even when the government issued a ban on gatherings at all religious facilities in August last year, the Seegero Church was caught while conducting face-to-face worship and was accused of six times. Afterwards, Seegero Church gathered more than 1,000 members to worship face-to-face on the 10th of this month, and was ordered to suspend operation for 10 days from 0 o’clock on the 11th. However, as if to ridicule this, Seegero Church gathered about 200 members and held face-to-face worship on the same day. Eventually, from 0 o’clock on the 12th, Seegero Church was indefinitely closed down. When it was not possible to enter the building at all, the Seegero Church, which is a little more open, gathered about 200 people on the outdoor lawn and held a worship service.

In addition to conducting face-to-face worship, the Seegero Church opposed the local government’s order to close the facility and filed a request for temporary injunction with the court for suspension of execution. However, the first division of the Busan District Law Administration (Deputy Judge Park Min-su) dismissed this on the 15th and said, “It is difficult to say that restricting only the place or method of worship violates the essential part of religious freedom.” Although the court recognized the legitimacy of the facility closure by the local government, the Gangseo-gu Office in Busan, which ordered the facility to close, decided to lift the facility closure the afternoon after Seegero Church held an outdoor service.

Citizens’ dissatisfaction over the Gangseo-gu Office’s decision to lift the facility closure is full of complaints. Park Mo (68), a resident of Songjeong-dong, Gangseo-gu near the Seegero Church, exclaimed, “It makes sense for the closure measures to be released in just a week even though we had a face-to-face worship service in violation of the quarantine regulations.” Kang Mo (29), an office worker who goes to Gangseo-gu to work, also said, “It is surprising that the Saegero Church can conduct worship without any sanctions even though it does not obey the orders of the quarantine authorities and repeats face-to-face worship.”

Despite such criticism, the ward office showed a comfortable attitude, saying,’The government has relaxed the quarantine regulations.’ Noh Gi-tae, head of Gangseo-gu, said, “Since the 18th, people within 10% of the seats have been able to worship nationwide. Is it necessary to keep the facility closed?” Then we will take action.”

Reporter Lee Sang-bae [email protected]