South Korean Christians comply with social distancing at a drive-in church amid the virus pandemic

Record ID: 1467696

  • Title: South Korean Christians comply with social distancing at a drive-in church amid the virus pandemic
  • Date: 5th April 2020
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (APRIL 5, 2020) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS DRIVING IN SCHOOL YARD, WHICH IS USED AS A PARKING LOT FOR SEOUL CITY CHURCH ON SUNDAYS, WITH THEIR OWN VEHICLE / CHURCH STAFF CHECKING TEMPERATURE OF THE CHRISTIANS THROUGH CAR WINDOW TIME-LAPSE OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS' CARS ENTERING AND PARKED AT SEOUL CITY CHURCH PARKING LOT FOR DRIVE-IN WORSHIP (MUTE) CROSS OF SEOUL CITY CHURCH AND SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS' CARS PARKED IN ROW AT SCHOOL YARD THAT IS USED AS PARKING LOT FOR THE CHURCH ON SUNDAYS CARS PARKED AT SEOUL CITY CHURCH PARKING LOT FOR DRIVE-IN WORSHIP SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIAN IN FACE MASK RAISING HER HAND FOR PRAYING IN CAR VARIOUS OF CHURCH MINISTER GIVING SERMON AT PODIUM VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS IN FACE MASKS PRAYING IN THEIR OWN CARS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 61-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIAN OH SUNG-MOON SAYING: "It's true that when we attend an online worship service at home, we only follow the order (of the service) and get a little slack. We could be wearing pajamas or casual clothes during these online worships. Then when we come to a church like this, you still wear formal clothes and see other people which makes a difference." VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS' CARS PARKED IN ROW AT CHURCH PARKING LOT VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS IN FACE MASKS PRAYING IN THEIR OWN CARS VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS CLAPPING FOR SONGS OF PRAISE AND MUSIC SHEET OF SONGS OF PRAISE (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 57-YEARS-OLD SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIAN, WANG EUN-SOOK, SAYING: "For Christians, group gatherings are very important. With the online worship, I can worship God, but I can't meet other fellow church members. Now I'm here excited and feeling happy to see our church members even from a car and worship together at this drive-in worship service." VARIOUS OF CARS ENTERING AND CHURCH STAFF CHECKING TEMPERATURE OF DEVOTEES THROUGH CAR WINDOW SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS' CARS PARKED IN ROW AT CHURCH PARKING LOT AND DEVOTEE'S HAND PRAYING DURING WORSHIP SEOUL CITY CHURCH'S HEAD MINISTER GIVING SERMON AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) HEAD MINISTER OF SOUTH KOREA'S SEOUL CITY CHURCH, JO HEE-SEO, SAYING: "Christians very much long for a worship service and they want to come to the church for it. However, we do have a (social distancing) guideline by the government. We wanted to meet these two demands, so decided to have a worship at a parking lot." CARS PARKED IN ROW AT CHURCH PARKING LOT DURING DRIVE-IN WORSHIP VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS PRAYING IN THEIR OWN CARS DURING WORSHIP
  • Embargoed: 19th April 2020 06:56
  • Keywords: South Korea Sunday cars christians church coronavirus drive-in-church park service social distancing
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Health/Medicine,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C87QD6V
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A South Korean church hosted a drive-in church service on Sunday (April 5) when the country had extended its intensive social distancing campaign for another two weeks to contain the virus spread in the country.
    The country has largely managed to bring under control Asia's largest epidemic outside China with around 100 or fewer new daily cases. But smaller outbreaks in churches, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as infections among travelers, continue to emerge.
    Most of the church services in the country were going online due to the government's strict guideline against group activities, including church gatherings.
    Then when a Presbyterian church in Seoul started a drive-in worship since last Sunday, church goers welcomed it.
    "We could be wearing pajamas or casual clothes during these online worships. Then when we come to a church like this, you still wear formal clothes and see other people which makes a difference," said 61-year-old Oh Sung-moon from his car after his temperature was checked by a church official from Seoul City Church hosting the drive-in worship.
    The church said about 150 cars, approximately 300 people, were gathered for the church's second drive-in worship on Sunday (April 5). Before the virus, about 400-500 people used to attending its Sunday worships, the church added.
    "Christians very much long for a worship service and they want to come to the church for it. However, we do have a (social distancing) guideline by the government. We wanted to meet these two demands," said the church's head minister Jo Hee Seo.
    Since mid-February when a woman tested positive after attending services at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu, the number of infections has exploded in South Korea, giving it the most cases outside China at one point.
    The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 94 new cases on Saturday (April 4), taking the national tally to 10,156. The death toll rose by nine to 183, while more than 300 recovered from the virus for a total of 6,325.
    Of the new, 32 were repatriated cases, mostly Koreans, while 31 were from the greater Seoul area and 26 from the hardest-hit city of Daegu, KCDC data showed.
    (Production: Daewoung Kim, Heejung Jung)
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