As soon as 2020 began, South Korea also began to suffer from a contagious virus, the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. Because of this virus, Korean political circles and the economy, as well as the public, are having many problems. The first confirmed case was on January 20th in South Korea. At first, there were a few confirmed cases; however, after the 31st confirmed case, it brought serious speculation with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

▲ The scene of the downtown of Busan after Coronavirus took place

The problem is the 31st case was a Shincheonji devotee. The Full name of the church is Shincheonji Church of Jesus. This heresy was established in March 1984. Shincheonji was considered as a new religion; however, by 2014, it became famous for its issues of violence, political intervention, and believer exploitation. Moreover, the 31st case was a preacher, and she was very dedicated, so she met a lot of people during the incubation period. After the case, the number of confirmed cases increased exponentially. Some places which were called as clean areas are affected by the virus.

▲ Man-Hee Rhee, the leader of Shincheonji

In this situation, people are fulminating Shincheonji. Some people are saying that this phenomenon is Shincheonji's conspiracy. A national petition saying to disperse this heresy surpassed a million in six days. Under these circumstances, the administrators of Shincheonji said that people should stop their fulmination.

▲ The administrator of Shincheonji is taking press conference

Because of this, big and small events are canceled, and schools are delaying their opening for the semester. It is because the schools in some regions have a large number of confirmed cases. Many nations banned Korean entry into their country. South Korea is in an unprecedented situation. What is the truth? Is heresy's assertion that they are just innocent people and victims of this situation true? Or are all of these Shincheonji's intrigue?

March 15th, 2020

by An So-mi