Seoul, March 16 (AFP/APP): A new coronavirus cluster linked to a South Korean religious group emerged on Monday, with 46 cases at a church near Seoul that defied calls to suspend services. The Grace River Church in Seongnam, south of the capital, finally closed its doors on Sunday after nearly a third of its 135 worshippers tested positive — including the pastor and his wife. It continued holding services despite repeated government requests for the public to avoid group activities, including religious meetings. Forty infections had been newly confirmed among the congregation, Seongnam city authorities said, adding to six previously known. More than half of South Korea’s 8,200 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect often condemned as a cult. One of its members attended at least four services in the southern city of Daegu — which became the center of the country’s epidemic — before being diagnosed. South Korea was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the pandemic first emerged and remains one of the world’s worst-affected countries despite being overtaken by both Italy and Iran in declared cases. Scores of events from K-pop concerts to sports … Continue reading New coronavirus cluster linked to South Korean church