Editing Shincheonji Church of Jesus (section)

===Legal battle===
{{update section|date=September 2025}}
With an additional 4,000 cases of COVID-19 within two weeks, and roughly 60% of the total infections nationwide having stemmed from the church,<ref name="a34lya">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a30402000000&bid=0030&act=view&list_no=366633&tag=&nPage=6 |title=The updates on COVID-19 in Korea as of 24 March |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=24 March 2020 |website=Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=24 April 2020 |quote=Shincheonji (4,383) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422143503/https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a30402000000&bid=0030&act=view&list_no=366633&tag=&nPage=1 |archive-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> the Seoul city government asked prosecutors to press charges against the religious group's founder and senior members for murder, causing harm, and for violating the Infectious Disease and Control Act.<ref name=AFPSeoul/> Interviews have occurred with all 230,000 members of the religious group and nearly 9,000 were said to be showing symptoms of the virus.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51695649 |title= Coronavirus: South Korea sect leader to face probe over deaths |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2 March 2020 |website= [[BBC]] |publisher= |access-date= 4 March 2020 |quote= }}</ref>

After a lawsuit was started by the [[Mayor of Seoul]], on February 25, 2020, the [[Governor of Gyeonggi Province]] [[Lee Jae-myung]], along with 40 officials, entered the Shincheonji headquarters office and seized about 50 computers after making a forcible entry into the headquarters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200225000730|title=Gyeonggi authorities seize PCs from Shincheonji to obtain list of members|last=Park|first=Han-na|date=25 February 2020|newspaper=[[The Korea Herald]]|access-date=2020-09-01}}</ref> The authorities checked the list seized during the raid with the one Shincheonji had supplied, and concluded that discrepancies were minor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kim |first=So-hyun |date=March 17, 2020 |title='Shincheonji didn't lie about membership figures'|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200317000667 |work=[[The Korea Herald]]|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> The Seoul City government filed legal complaints to state prosecutors against 12 leaders of the church, accusing the group of homicide, causing harm, and violating the Infectious Disease and Control Act.<ref name=BBClegal>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51695649|title=Coronavirus: South Korea sect leader to face probe over deaths|date=March 2, 2020|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-south-korea-lost-control-of-its-coronavirus-outbreak |title= How South Korea Lost Control of Its Coronavirus Outbreak |last= Kim |first= Suki |date= 4 March 2020 |magazine= [[The New Yorker]] |publisher= |access-date= 5 March 2020 |quote= In a speech, Moon blamed the outbreak in South Korea on members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious group widely considered to be a cult, whose adherents make up more than half of those infected with covid-19.}}</ref>

After the outbreak amongst Shincheonji's Daegu branch church in February, 51 Shincheonji-related locations in Daegu were closed. Out of this, 14 locations have been shut down since February of this year<!-- "this year" should give an actual year -->. Shincheonji has only held online services since February. However, its buildings continue to remain closed and Shincheonji has requested for the courts to reconsider the order for building closure. Shincheonji is requesting access to the buildings for the sake of building maintenance, not for usage of religious meetings or activities. The City of Daegu, however, has rejected the request, stating that building maintenance is currently not needed and that the public opinion against Shincheonji's Daegu Church still has not recovered. The courts have not yet ruled against or for the request. The situation could also be resolved upon an agreement between Shincheonji Daegu Church and the City of Daegu.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chosun.com/national/regional/2020/11/03/6IEUM3OK3FGHNK2RX6H6I7R6JM/|title=Shincheonji Daegu Branch Locations Shut Down for Eight Months|date=3 November 2020|newspaper=[[The Chosun Ilbo]]}}</ref>