A member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus committed suicide on Wednesday, police confirmed, after arguing with her husband about membership in the church – widely blamed for bringing the Chinese coronavirus to South Korea.
Widely derided as a cult and now at the center of a political firestorm that may result in murder charges for some of its members, South Korean authorities believe that as many as half of the nearly 8,000 Chinese coronavirus cases in the country can be traced back to the Shincheonji church. Shincheonji is not a traditional Christian church in that its followers worship Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old founder of the church, as a living reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
According to the Korea Times, police did not identify the woman who jumped to her death from her apartment in Jeongeup, South Korea, nor did they specify why she did it. Initial reports suggest that her husband was not a member of the church and had urged her to leave it amid growing disgust and alarm at the organization. The husband reportedly told police that her participation in Shincheonji had been a cause of marital strife for years, but that the fights may have “intensified” after church members spread the virus.
The unnamed woman leaves two children, five and seven years old, and her husband.
“She is an active member of the Shinecheonji cult and therefore included in the list of people who are suspected to be carrying the coronavirus infection. We have her tested and the result was negative. Until then, she is still under active monitoring until on the 13th,” authorities in Jeollabuk province said of the unnamed woman before her death.
The woman is the second potential case of suicides among followers of the church since the coronavirus outbreak began in the country. Two weeks ago, a woman in her 60s also died after falling from a high-rise apartment – another woman who reportedly did not share her religion with her husband. While JoongAng Ilbo‘s report from shortly after her death noted police were not sure it was a suicide, the Korea Times this week alleged that her husband was abusive in arguments over Shincheonji.
South Korean authorities believe a Shincheonji member traveled to Wuhan and returned to South Korea carrying the virus. That person, identified as a 61-year-old woman, attended four church services, potentially exposing thousands of people, in Daegu. Local reports indicated the woman refused to be tested for the virus and continued to attend services, where members spend the time in close quarters, until finally no longer being able to refuse a test. As of last week, about 9,000 Shincheonji members are suspected coronavirus patients.
The woman’s potential to infect so many people triggered attempts by South Korean prosecutors to charge the founder of the church, Lee, with murder for every death attributable to the outbreak. The church is facing charges in both Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, and Seoul. Social media users have accused the woman of attempting to spread the virus deliberately to bring about the Rapture and demanded the government shut down its operations.
Lee Man-hee issued a profuse apology on television at the beginning of the month.
“As the representative of Shincheonji followers, I sincerely apologize to the public. It wasn’t our intention, but many people were infected,” he asserted.
The church also announced a $10 million donation to the nation’s health facilities to help contain the virus and treat the affected.
“We do feel responsibility for the massive number of infections of the virus and do our best to support the government-led disease-control measures with all our resources,” the church said in a statement. “We pray for the quick stabilization of the situation and the recovery of all patients.”