Coronavirus outbreak: South Korean religious leader calls it 'devil's deed'

Amid increasing global concerns over the unprecedented outbreak of the deadly novel Coronavirus, officially named COVID-19 South Korean 'cult' leader has said on February 21 that the disease is the “devil's deed” and called it a “test of faith”. According to international media reports, the self-proclaimed messiah of South Korean religious movement, Lee Man-hee made the comments through a message on the internal application. The app is reportedly used by the members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. It was founded by Man-hee in 1984. 

A South Korean news agency carried out the images with his messages saying, “this disease case is seen as the devil's deed to stop the rapid growth of Shincheonji. Just like the tests Job went through, it is to destroy our advancement.” 

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204 cases confirmed in Daegu

The number of infections linked to the religious sect in Daegu increased and South Korea reportedly confirmed 48 more cases on February 21. According to international media reports, 39 of the new cases confirmed were connected to the Church of Jesus in Daegu and the number of country's overall cases spiked to 204. The COVID-19 outbreak also led to the residents staying indoors, leaving the streets of the fourth-largest city abandoned.

The South Korean authorities described the situation in Daegu as a 'super-spreading event' as nearly 90 people who worshipped at the Church showed symptoms of infection. On Thursday the shopping malls and cinemas of the city of approximately 2.5 million people were left deserted. Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin has also reportedly requested residents to stay indoors.  

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in has reportedly called in officials to closely monitor the church services along with the funeral services at a hospital in nearby Cheongdo County that was attended by many members and is now considered ads the site of another cluster of coronavirus cases. 

According to international media reports, that hospital was also the home to the first Coronavirus patient who died in South Korea even though, medical authorities are still confirming his cause of death. While the South Korean President called for “thorough investigation on attendees”, Man-hee has urged his followers to obey the government. 

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(With agency inputs)