The Volatile Mix Of A South Korean Church, Politics And The Coronavirus
A clash over disease control between the government and a church is the latest flashpoint in a wider conflict between a right-wing coalition and President Moon Jae-in's liberal administration.
A decade ago, building cleaner Noh Il-soon was in the market for a new church. She had previously moved within Seoul, and when she did, she looked for a local congregation to join.
A missionary introduced her to a Presbyterian church called Sarang Jeil, Korean for "love comes first." Noh says she was immediately captivated by the sermons of the charismatic pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon.
"If my previous way of knowing Jesus, during 50 years in other churches, was like licking the outside of a watermelon," she says, "then knowing Jesus through our pastor was like splitting open the watermelon and tasting the sweet and juicy fruit inside."
