Closing the facility… Western church with head bowed, Seegero church with litigation (comprehensive)
Reporter Kim Seong-hyun [email protected], Reporter Lee Sang-bae [email protected]
Input: 2021-01-11 19:26:30Revision: 2021-01-11 19:29:10Published: 2021-01-11 19:34:50 (p. 8)
On the 11th, the Seo-gu Office closed down the facility for the Seo-gu West Church in Busan, which held face-to-face worship. On the morning of that day, a ward official is listening to the closing notice to be posted on the church. Reporter Kang Sun-bae ksun@
Seo-gu Seobu Presbyterian Church in Busan and Seegero Church in Gangseo-gu (Pusan Ilbo reported on the first page of January 4) were forcibly closed. According to this decision, the two churches decided not to worship any more face-to-face. However, the Saegero Church announced a legal response against the closing measures.
On the morning of the 11th, the Seo-gu Office in Busan closed the facility of Seobu Presbyterian Church. On the same day, the officials of the Seo-gu Office posted a notice stating,’This facility will be closed according to Article 49, Paragraph 3 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act’ throughout the church. The closing time is from 0 o’clock on the 12th, and the period is decided by the mayor of the ward. No one is allowed to enter the church during this period.
Closed ward office to enforce face-to-face worship
Western Church “Because of Elders” Explained
“Temporary Disposition” Legal Controversy
“Constitutional Wish”
Previously, the Western Presbyterian Church accused the Seobu Presbyterian Church seven times, but when they held a face-to-face service, they ordered to suspend operations for 10 days from the 7th. The Western Presbyterian Church ignored even this and held a weekend service on the 10th with 560 members attending. In the end, the Western-gu office pulled out a knife called’facility closure’.
In response to the Western Presbyterian Church’s decision, the Western Presbyterian Church said it plans to follow the closing measures. He explained that the face-to-face worship that has been enforced so far was a decision that was unavoidably made by many elderly believers who had difficulty in online non-face-to-face worship. Seobu Presbyterian Church Associate Pastor Takwon Lee said, “More than half of the church members are watching non-face-to-face worship. We have proceeded and plan not to worship in accordance with the closing order in the future.”
The Gangseo-gu Office in Busan also delivered an order to close the facility to Seegero Church, which held a face-to-face service on this day. Like the Western Presbyterian Church, Seegero Church also enforced early morning prayer with more than 200 believers attending even when an order to suspend operation was issued. According to the Gangseo-gu Office’s decision, he said he would not worship face-to-face. However, they are in a position to engage in a’legal struggle’ by filing an application for temporary injunction with the court for suspension of execution.
‘Free Citizens’ Solidarity for Restoration of Worship (hereinafter referred to as Ye Jayeon)’ held a press conference in front of the Busan District Court on the same afternoon and protested the closure of the church by the quarantine authorities. Yejayon is a group of 600 churches nationwide, including the Seero Church, gathering to claim’freedom of worship’. They applied for suspension of execution to the Busan District Court against the Gangseo-gu and Seo-gu offices that ordered the Seegero Church and Seobu Presbyterian Church to close their facilities. In addition, it plans to file a constitutional petition on the quarantine authorities’ measures to stop worship services on the 12th. At this meeting, Pastor Hyeon-bo Son of Seegero Church said, “The government has limited the number of attendees to 20 people or less regardless of the size of the church.” Action”.
First, the Gangseo-gu Office has ordered the closure of the facilities for the Church in the world with a time limit until the 17th, when social distancing is extended. “This church has been accused several times, but I couldn’t watch it more because it said it would conduct face-to-face worship,” said Noh Gi-tae, head of Gangseo-gu.
Reporters Seonghyun Kim and Sangbae Lee [email protected]