A controversial South Korean pastor has been strongly criticised for leading thousands of followers to a rally in central Seoul on Saturday - a move which President
moon Jae-in called "an unpardonable act" amid the sharpest rise in
Coronavirus cases in five months.
South Korea initially performed well in the fight against Covid-19, but the number of new cases has soared recently, with 279 new cases on Sunday - following 103 on Friday, and 166 on Saturday. The surge in Covid-19 cases prompted authorities on Sunday to reimpose tighter social distancing curbs in the Seoul metropolitan area. Most of the new infections were among worshipers at the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, where 240 people have tested positive, and at another church in the surrounding province of Gyeonggi. Tightly packed, fervent prayer services in some South Korean churches have made them particularly vulnerable to the virus.