Q. On donating 12 billion won
As a church that produced a high count of confirmed cases, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus feels a deep sense of responsibility on the tumultuous developments regarding COVID-19. And to help fight the COVID-19 crisis, the church had donated 12 billion Korean won (10 million US dollars) to Community Chest Korea towards on 5 March.
The funds for donation was not collected by congregation members but came from the church finance. As Chairman Man Hee Lee had stated during the press conference, the church will not spare any efforts in supporting human and capital resources.
However, 6 March, the Community Chest Korea requested to return the donated funds for the negative public sentiment against Shincheonji Church of Jesus put a burden on spending the church's donation.
We convey our sincere regret and apologies to the Korean people. The church will commit to placing the donation so that it reaches where help is needed.
The church has also spent days focusing hard on finding a location appropriately equipped for a treatment center for patients with a mild case of COVID-19 in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do area. We will make all possible efforts to provide a facility and help relieve the strain on hospitals. We hope these efforts will allow hospitals to reopen more room for, and give patients in critical conditions and patients waiting for admitted treatment the much-needed care.
Q. About the watch that the chairman, Man Hee Lee, wore to the 2 March press conference
The wristwatch that Chairman Man Hee Lee wore on 2 March was a gift he had been given in the past from one member of the church. It is a watch he usually wears and does not carry any political significance.
Q. About claims that the chairman named the Saenuri Party
The Chairman did not create the name Saenuri Party, nor did he make such a statement.
Q. About submitting the list
Officials from the KCDC (Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and Gyeonggi-do government visited the headquarters office of Shincheonji Church on 25 February, and IT experts themselves retrieved data directly from the server. They also checked the search queries. The KCDC downloaded the data of 212,324 congregation members in Korea into two files, one file for students and children (16,680) and one file for the rest (195,644), which they stored on a USB thumb drive. On 26 February, the list of the congregation overseas was provided in the same method.
The Gyeonggi-do government acquired this information:
1) a list of the church members who have their address in Gyeonggi-do,
2) church members who were at Daegu Church either on the 9th or 16th of February,
3) church members who were at Gwacheon Church on 16 February.
And on 27 February, Gyeonggi-do obtained additional data on 1,074 people with missing contact information from the initial list of 33,582. Most of those 1,074 were students and children, and the church provided the contact information of their parents and family members. Gyeonggi-do government officials also brought IT personnel to extracted data from the church server and checked search queries.
1) a list of the church members who have their address in Gyeonggi-do,
2) church members who were at Daegu Church either on the 9th or 16th of February,
3) church members who were at Gwacheon Church on 16 February.
And on 27 February, Gyeonggi-do obtained additional data on 1,074 people with missing contact information from the initial list of 33,582. Most of those 1,074 were students and children, and the church provided the contact information of their parents and family members. Gyeonggi-do government officials also brought IT personnel to extracted data from the church server and checked search queries.
When the KCDC send the list to respective local governments, they sort the list by address. However, Shincheonji Church of Jesus categorizes congregation member data by church and tribe rather than the place of residence. Inevitably, when a local government requests a roster of the congregation to a Shincheonji Church in their area, it would not perfectly match the list sent from the KCDC. Also, there are cases where a person's address information in the church records would be different from the current address. Later, to resolve complications, the headquarters resubmitted a full list with additional details, including attending church, tribe, and member group.
Per the request of the KCDC, the headquarters provided a list of students on 27 February. For students without contact number and address, the name and contact information of the evangelists assigned to those students were attached to the student information. Meanwhile, congregation member data from Gwangju Church and the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do region was provided in realtime upon request of respective local governments.
On 5 March, after allegations that the data previously provided by the church had omissions and discrepancies, officials from the center in charge of infectious disease response at the KCDC joined by forensic analysis experts from the Supreme Prosecutor's Office visited the church headquarters office for an administrative investigation. The administrative investigation was to verify data and whether it matched the submitted lists, and the officials acquired the full list of congregation members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, all students, church properties including church buildings and annexes, the list of all people who have attended service during January and February, and student attendance records of mission centers.
Controlling and preventing infectious diseases is a serious matter which is directly related to the health of people and may cause social anxiety from concerns of infection. The church is assisting in thorough investigation and diagnosis following the instructions of the health department. Also, church members are vigilantly following the process of admission, treatment, or self-quarantine, depending on the results of testing and epidemiological investigations, in hopes of minimizing the possibility of community-acquired infection.
Q. On church buildings, annexes, and other facilities
The 1,100 churches and annex facilities that Shincheonji Church of Jesus disclosed to the public is the sum of all churches, offices, education halls, gathering spaces, mission centers, mission churches, cultural spaces, seminar rooms, and student halls in Korea. The properties reported to the General Assembly included land unsuitable for public gatherings, plots reserved for parking space, storages, and buildings owned or leased by individuals. And the total number 1,529 reported indicates the number of organs holding property, not the number of estates. When it comes to real estate properties, the church does not control property information from a single administrative system, but rather, respective branch churches would send files separately when reporting their properties. To follow up on the claims that some addresses were incorrect, omitted, or outdated and already closed, the church staff doublechecked the address information. As a result, the church provided a list of all church properties including vacant land, storages, homes, dorms, and properties owned or leased by individuals totaling 1,903. (As of the end of January 2020)
1) Shincheonji Church of Jesus had said the total number of their congregation is approximately 240,000. The KCDC says they received a list of 212,000 people. Why is there a difference?
The 240,000 is a number counting in the congregation members of churches abroad. Shincehonji Church of Jesus had provided a list of the entire domestic congregation counting 212,324 and followed up on the evening of 26 February by submitting an additional list of 33,281 members overseas.
2) Shincheonji Church of Jesus deliberately excluded their student information from the list sent to the KCDC?
The KCDC requested the list of students on 27 February, and the church immediately provided the list the same day. Provided that students are not officially recognized church members, Shincheonji Church of Jesus cannot provide personal information on its terms. Therefore, the list was provided on the condition that the public health authority would take full legal responsibility in case of any breach.
3) A group, titled the National Association of Victims of Shincheonji Church, filed a suit against the leader of Shincheonji Church charging violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act by refusing to submit material, submitting false information or concealing it. Didn't the church hide its records?
Shincheonji Church of Jesus has certainly provided all materials to the KCDC. Regarding the charges brought against Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a member of a group that has been slandering the church brought charges for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act by either refusing to submit information, or submitting wrong information, or concealing them. The allegations are groundless since Shincheonji Church of Jesus is actively cooperating with the public health authorities by providing information. In addition to that, there were charges on embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. Earlier, in 2019, an organization and its members, who have falsely accused Shincheonji Church of Jesus, filed charges with the same accusations. After investigation, Gwacheon Police Station concluded the accusation was not grounded, and the case is currently pending at the Anyang City Prosecutor's Office. Those charges are redundant.
Q. On Cheongdo Daenam Hospital
Among visitors at the funeral held at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, no church members were visiting from China, and a survey on the entire congregation showed that no church member works at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital. Also, the patient referred to as confirmed case no. 31, or the Shincheonji Volunteer Group has never visited Cheongdo Daenam Hospital.
Q. On Wuhan Church in China
Q. On Wuhan Church in China
It was 2010 when a member of the church, a Chinese national who had studied the Bible in Germany, started the work of mission in Wuhan, China.
In China, the new Religious Affairs Regulations went into effect in early 2018, applying stringent rules to regulate religious practices. As a result of such regulations, all Shincheonji churches in China were closed in 2018. Equally, Wuhan Church closed down all church spaces on 15 June 2018 and has since taken all meetings and services online and operates them autonomously.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus acknowledges a group as a 'church' when the number congregation exceeds 120. Church members in Wuhan reached 120 in 2018, and the church recognized the area as Wuhan Church on 1 January 2019, however, without any physical church building. Church records show that there are 357 members in Wuhan. Wuhan Church is a branch of the Tribe of James in Busan and is not related to Daegu Church, which is under the Tribe of Thaddaeus, and according to records, none have been to service there during January and February.
📌COVID-19 Response of Shincheonji Church of Jesus
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The truth will prevail. All glory to God. The world will soon come to learn the truth about Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
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