Far-right S. Korean pastor released from hospital, calls COVID-19 outbreak fraud

Jun Kwang-hoon (Yonhap) via The Korea Herald

SEOUL — As soon as he had recovered from COVID-19 on Wednesday, Jun Kwang-hoon, who leads the Seoul-based Presbyterian church that emerged as the country’s second-biggest virus cluster, called the government’s antivirus measures a “fraud” designed to destroy his church.

The far-right pastor repeated his claim that President Moon Jae-in and his administration are oppressing him for holding anti-government rallies, at a press conference held in front of his church. He was discharged from the Seoul Medical Center in the morning, where he was sent after testing positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 17.

“The government has been trying to remove me and our church whenever it finds a chance. They tried to put all the blame on us with the new coronavirus but failed thanks to wise judgment made by the public,” he said.

Since the first case in the church was detected on Aug. 12, a cluster there has emerged in a huge number of infections, standing at 1,117 as of Wednesday at noon. Some 1,400 people related to the church still haven’t undergone testing, according to health authorities.

Jun, along with many of his church members, participated in an anti-Moon protest held at Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 15 in breach of a self-isolation order. The rally is tied to another 441 positive cases of the coronavirus.

Proclaiming himself a prophet who leads Korean churches, Jun said he will risk his life to fight against the president.

“I will wait and see for a month, but if President Moon continues to deceive the people with national infidelity and false peaceful reunification, I will put my life on the line in a month. I am ready to be martyred.”

Jun and his church are facing criminal charges and damage suits that could cost them billions of won.

Over 140 merchants running shops located near the Sarang Jeil Church in Jangwi-dong, Seungbuk-gu, Seoul, plan to file a class action suit against the church later this month for financial damages incurred as customers avoid visiting the area due to the church’s uncooperative response to virus control measures.

On Tuesday, the Seoul city government said it would exercise its right to indemnity against the church for hampering authorities’ efforts to stem the COVID-19 spread over the cost it spent to treat them. The state-run National Health Insurance Service, which estimated the treatment costs for church-related patients to be some 6.5 billion won ($5.48 million), also plans to take a similar action.

On Aug. 15, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office requested the Seoul Central District Court cancel the bail granted to Jun for breaching bail conditions.

Jun was indicted in March on charges of breaking public election law by asking attendees of a rally to support the conservative bloc in the April 15 general elections. He was released in April under a bail agreement that he would not take part in any rallies or protests that could be found to be illegal or related to the charges he faced.