The Seoul Metropolitan Government has cancelled a permit for a Shincheonji foundation, accusing the religious sect of aggravating the new coronavirus outbreak.
Mayor Park Won-soon explained the decision Thursday, saying the foundation is an anti-social religious organization that only prioritizes its own benefit regardless of the public's safety.
Park also said the sect incurred unnecessary expenses and hindered government efforts to curb the outbreak by providing false information.
The mayor added that officials related to the foundation neither attended meetings nor submitted documents explaining its stance on the accusations.
Shincheonji, estimated to have more than 200,000 followers in the country, is widely seen as having worsened the virus outbreak in South Korea.
Cases related to the religious group account for more than half of the more than 9,000 infections reported in the country.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
