South Korean prosecutors arrest the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect as part of an investigation into allegations the church hampered the government’s anti-virus response after thousands of worshippers were infected in February and March.
FILE - In this March 2, 2020, file photo, Lee Man-hee, chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, attends at a press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea. South Korean prosecutors have arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect as part of an investigation into allegations the church hampered the government’s anti-coronavirus response after thousands of worshipers were infected in February and March.
Prosecutors in the central city of Suwaon have been questioning 88-year-old Lee Man-hee, chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, over charges that the church hid some members and underreported gatherings to avoid broader quarantines. More than 5,200 of the South Korea’s 14,336 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the church so far. Its branch in the southern city of Daegu emerged as the biggest cluster after infections spiked in late February.
South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday reported 31 newly confirmed cases. At least 23 of the, were tied to international arrivals.
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