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South Korean prosecutors question church leader accused of hampering coronavirus recovery
By Vandana Rambaran
Published July 17, 2020
The chairman of a South Korean church linked to a large cluster of the country's coronavirus cases was questioned for hours on Friday as officials probed whether the religious group flouted COVID-19 rules to hold services.
Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, bows during the press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea, on March 2, 2020. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP)
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After four hours of questioning, Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, asked prosecutors if he could be excused from the day's proceedings, after complaining of health issues.
Lee left and questions halted for the day, but attorneys from the district prosecutors' office in Suwon, south of Seoul, said they will follow up with Lee for further questioning.
Three senior members of the church were arrested last week after authorities said they attempted to cover up the extent of church attendance when asked by health officials to avoid coronavirus restrictions. Over 5,200 cases of the virus were linked to the Shincheonji church between February and March.
Lee and other Shincheonji leaders have denied any wrongdoing, but in March, Lee apologized for the "unintentional" spread of the virus stemming from the church.
South Korea has reported 13,672 cases of the virus and has rigorously tested and quarantined people in pockets of the country that have reported higher case numbers of COVID-19.
Despite getting a handle on the outbreak by April, officials reported 60 new cases on Friday, including 39 linked to people arriving from abroad. The country is enforcing two-week quarantines for all people arriving from overseas.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korean-prosecutors-question-church-leader-coronavirus-spread