Officials from three Protestant groups — the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Korea and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) — make a public apology during a press conference in Seoul on Jan. 29, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Three Protestant groups on Friday made a public apology for several mass infections of the novel coronavirus from Protestant churches and institutions over the past year.
“Looking back on the current situation in which Korean churches are regarded as a major threat to public health, we deeply apologize to the nation,” the three groups — the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Korea and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) — said in a joint press conference.
“We are so sorry for small businesses, citizens, government officials and medical staff who have been making constant efforts to overcome the pandemic as early as possible,” they added.
The apology came as Christian circles, especially Protestant churches, have been under fire for being hotbeds for cluster infections since the country saw its first COVID-19 outbreak about a year ago.
Some of them have raised people’s eyebrows by sticking to in-person services and gatherings in defiance of government-led distancing rules.
Recently, nearly 360 virus cases have been reported from missionary training schools run by the International Mission (IM), a local Christian missionary group. It has about 40 educational and research facilities across the country.
In particular, the International English Mission (IEM) School in the central city of Daejeon, one of the schools run by IM, accounted for about 180 cases of the total, while two IM-affiliated schools in Gwangju, some 329 kilometers south of Seoul, have a combined 150 COVID-19 patients.
In late February and early March last year, more than 5,000 virus cases traced to the minor religious sect of Shincheonji were reported in Daegu. It is the biggest cluster infection in South Korea since the first COVID-19 case was reported here on Jan. 20, 2020.
Cases traced to Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul reached nearly 1,200 in August, while some 800 people were infected in connection to the BTJ Center for All Nations, a religious facility in North Gyeongsang Province, earlier this month.
The NCCK and two other civic groups asked all churches to join the nationwide efforts to curb the virus spread, saying that a religion should act to save the lives and health of people.
“While all people sacrifice themselves for the country, it is indiscreet of us to stick to our own religious life such as in-person services and protest against disease-control measures,” they said.
“We will do our best to rebuild ourselves as a reliable religion in this time of historical transformation.”
(Yonhap)
