Shincheonji's secrecy sparks concerns over mass infection
Gyeonggi Provincial authorities inspect a Shincheonji facility in Gwacheon, Tuesday, to seize PCs that hold lists of members of the religious group confirmed as the infection cluster for the new coronavirus. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
A minor Christian sect, known as the Shincheonji Church, which has been at the heart of a surge in coronavirus cases here, is igniting concerns over a further mass infection as its worshipers tend to conceal their affiliation with the cult, even from family members, experts said Wednesday.
While Korea has reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 infections so far, more than half have been traced to the Shincheonji Church in Daegu.
Several cases, in which confirmed COVID-19 patients were belatedly discovered to be Shincheonji followers, have already been reported, disrupting quarantine officials' efforts to contain the virus by isolating those possibly infected in advance.
According to the health authorities, an officer working in the prison service at Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang Province, near Daegu, tested positive for the virus Monday.
Until the confirmation of his infection, the officer had not notified the prison of the fact that he was a member of the Shincheonji Church and had participated in services of the minor Christian sect, continueing to work at the prison.
Some 50 prison officers and prisoners, who had contact with the officer, have been isolated since the confirmation. This raises the likelihood that more infections could occur at the prison that houses about 400 inmates.
In addition, an infection prevention team leader at a public health center in Daegu's Seo District tested positive, Sunday. He also belatedly revealed the fact that he was a Shincheonji member.
The fact that a leader of quarantine activities in the region did not report he was a member of the church even after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the incident there was a “super spread” case of the infectious virus has been taken very seriously.
A day after the confirmation of infection of the team leader, four more officials at the health center tested positive for the virus, while some 50 personnel including seven doctors have been isolated.
Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin told reporters during a briefing, “The team leader did not make a report about his Shincheonji membership as he had no symptoms.”
Religious experts said Shincheonji members tend to hide their affiliation as they know of the bad image of the religious group, which mainstream Korean churches consider a cult.
“They might have been more afraid of disclosing their membership than of the virus spreading,” Busan Presbyterian University Professor Tark Ji-il said. “This shows how distorted beliefs can lead to a social problem. The members, especially those working in the public sector, should ensure that public safety is top priority.”
While Shincheonji vowed to offer a list of 212,000 followers to the government, the professor stressed that health authorities should not rely too much on the list as it would include active members only.
“There will be more trainees, and I believe the religious group must have managed personal information of the trainees too,” Tark said. “The government should mobilize all administrative measures to be more active in securing a list of more followers before it is too late.”