Shincheonji founder tests negative for coronavirus

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- The founder of a minor religious sect at the center of a rapid increase in coronavirus cases in South Korea has tested negative for the disease, the group said Monday.

Lee Man-hee, founder and leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, who underwent the test on Saturday, is COVID-19 negative, according to the church.

But the church did not elaborate on where and how Lee received the examination, while Lee has been in self-quarantine at his home in Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul.

The sect has been blamed for the recent hike in the number of coronavirus patients in South Korea.

South Korea reported a total of 4,212 confirmed cases as of Monday with 22 deaths.

The health authorities believe nearly 60 percent of the country's virus cases are linked to Shincheonji.

brk@yna.co.kr
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