Why are South Korean churches a magnet for coronavirus and conspiracy theories?
As the prayers draw to a close, the pastor waves a blue card before his congregation and promises them salvation - from the coronavirus.
"No one who possesses these cards has been infected by the virus and those who previously tested positive were cured fast," he solemnly declares, before putting the card in his chest pocket and advising his listeners to "just keep it like this".
The card emits "waves" that will "fend off and kill the Covid-19 virus", he tells his applauding flock, who are all wearing masks and sitting in pews at socially distanced intervals.
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The video footage, which has gone viral, is of Pastor Lee Young-hoon, who heads the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea - the world's largest Pentecostal Christian congregation, with half a million followers.
South Korean pastor Lee Young-hoon with the card he claimed alt=South Korean pastor Lee Young-hoon with the card he claimed
It has sent shock waves through a country that was once seen as a model for its response to the pandemic but is now struggling to contain a third wave of infections.
Widespread criticism from the scientific community and media has prompted the church to rethink its plans to distribute the cards to its followers for free, but the incident has highlighted the ongoing role religious groups have played in the spread of the virus in South Korea, just as the country battles its largest wave of infections yet.
In recent months, infection levels have soared, prompting alarm that new clusters have been able to get past the aggressive testing, contact-tracing and isolation regimes that once earned South Korea praise from the World Health Organization. While the country's record of around 82,000 infections and nearly 1,500 deaths may seem relatively enviable when compared to some Western countries, many worry about the direction of travel.
The third wave of infections began in November and peaked with more than 1,000 cases a day at the turn of the year; on Wednesday the country reported 444 new cases, a six-day high, and health authorities have urged people to avoid family gatherings during the Lunar New Year period.
Worshippers wear face masks at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP alt=Worshippers wear face masks at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP
BACKLASH AGAINST RELIGIOUS GROUPS
That religious groups known to have flouted restrictions have been a high-profile source of infection clusters in each of the three waves so far has contributed to a backlash against churches and pastors such as Lee Young-hoon.
In his case the matter has been made worse by the fact the card he was promoting was developed by Kim Hyon-won, a controversial biochemistry professor at the Yonsel University Wonju College of Medicine. The professor claims the cards radiate waves that form protective shields around those holding them.
Scientists have dismissed the claims as outlandish and local news media have reported that the professor has previously been convicted for selling "life water" that he fraudulently claimed could treat cancer. He was fined 20 million won.
But in an email to the South China Morning Post, Kim insisted he was a pioneer developing a "new paradigm" in dealing with diseases.
"No one among some 5,000 people in possession of the cards has contracted the virus," he insisted, adding that he planned to conduct tests on one million people.
Critics say the church is not only risking its congregation's health, but damaging the reputation of all churches.
Internal Medicine Professor Kim Woo-joo of Korea University said the cards "had no scientific effects whatsoever", further cautioning that worshippers might come to use them "like a talisman, and feel somewhat reassured", and thereby let their guard down.
"If things like this are used at a mega church, it will only increase people's mistrust in churches", Kim said.
Worshippers wear face masks to protect against the coronavirus at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP alt=Worshippers wear face masks to protect against the coronavirus at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: AP
The Yoido Full Gospel Church is only the latest in a long list of institutions to have troubled authorities, which have spent millions of man-hours visiting churches to ensure they stick to restrictions such as distancing measures and mask wearing, yet still there have been numerous high-profile cases of churches flouting the rules.
In one notorious incident in May last year, there was an outbreak of the virus at a small church in Gyeonggi Province that had been spraying salt water into the mouths of followers in the false belief it would prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, using the same spray bottle without disinfecting the nozzle had helped the virus spread through the group, infecting 46 worshippers.
In another case, a small church in the southern district of Geumcheon repeatedly breached a ban on gatherings of 20 people or more. Infection clusters emerged at the church, producing seven cases in June and another 17 in December. Meanwhile, video footage of its pastor's defiant sermon went viral.
"How could I tell believers not to come here? The Lord says whoever may come and pray and chant ... they are more blessed," he had said.
Another pastor, in Incheon City, west of Seoul, caused controversy with his claims that God wanted "face-to-face" prayer sessions and that South Korea's contact-tracing information was being handed over to China. He and 37 of his congregation tested positive in August last year.
Other churches have spread conspiracy theories that vaccinations are a cover for Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to implant traceable microchips in people.
"What will happen if you get vaccinated? You all will be their slaves", said Choi Paul in a sermon at the BTJ (Back to Jerusalem) Mission in July last year. At least 600 infections have been traced to the evangelical group during the ongoing third wave of infections.
In each wave of infections to have hit the country, church clusters have been prominent. The doomsday Shincheonji Church of Jesus contributed at least 5,200 confirmed cases to the first wave, which began in February last year. During the second wave last summer, 800 cases were traced to Sarang Jeil Church. That church's pastor, Jeon Kwang-hoon, accused President Moon Jae-in of being a communist who had planted "the Wuhan virus" among his followers because they did not see politically eye to eye.
Police officers head towards Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, South Korea, for a search and seizure operation. Photo: EPA alt=Police officers head towards Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, South Korea, for a search and seizure operation. Photo: EPA
More recently, around 390 cases were last month traced to cram schools and other facilities operated by International Mission (IM) across the country.
IM leader Michael Cho has ridiculed science and distancing regulations, claiming at a recent lecture that "God protects us scientifically".
REPENTANCE, FROM SOME
In the face of mounting uproar, reform-minded church groups have publicly apologised for the role some churches have played in spreading infections.
"We sincerely hold ourselves responsible for causing people to feel that they are fed up with churches ... It is sad that Korean churches are seen as forces that harm public health," the National Council of Christians in Korea and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) said in a joint statement.
"We confess that Korean churches are not free from wrongdoings committed in the name of freedom of religion and we apologise to the people."
The apology comes amid evidence that the virus has dealt a blow to churches' income and recruitment of new followers and that it has undermined public trust in the institutions.
A survey last month showed the ratio of people who trust churches fell to 21 per cent over the past year from 32 per cent the year before.
With a population of 52 million, South Korea has more than fourteen million Christians.
"[Church] incomes have fallen to one third of what they used to be before the pandemic - a serious headache for many churches, including mega churches that have borrowed tens of millions of dollars to shell out for new buildings", said Choi Hyung-mook, a reformist pastor in charge of Salim Church in the central city of Cheonan.
"Coronavirus has exposed the dark side of many of the country's [churches]," he added.
While some churches seem repentant, others seem oblivious to all the public anger they have caused.
In the southern city of Gwangju, authorities this week filed charges against four churches suspected of flouting coronavirus safety restrictions. One of them had reportedly been holding secret one-on-one prayer sessions at night, with all lights turned off and curtains drawn.
"I don't see any signs of churches attempting to mend their ways," said Kim Jin-ho, chief researcher at the Christian Institute for The Third Era in Seoul who is also a pastor at Hanbaik Church.
Added Kim: "Despite the pandemic, many churches are still pursuing their own material gains and expansion rather than taking care of wounded souls, thus depriving themselves of the chance to extricate themselves from this crisis of their own making."
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
