Who Is South Korea's 'Patient 31', Who's Apparently The Reason For Increasing COVID-19 Cases?

Unlike North Korea, South Korea does not believe in shooting COVID-19 infected patients and for good reason. (Good reason: humanity)

Anyway, the situation in South Korea wasn't as bad in February as it is presently. As the country is battling to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the involvement of a religious group has come under the radar. The East Asian nation has reported a total of 123 new confirmed coronavirus cases while a fourth death due to the virus took place. This has brought the country's total of infected cases to be 556.

AFP

The bizarre reason to get suspicious was that more than half the latest cases were found to be linked to a Shincheonji Church of Jesus congregation in the southeastern city of Daegu. What makes it even weirder is that a 61-year-old woman known as 'Patient 31' attended services at the church and tested positive for the virus later. However, the woman has no record of any overseas travel.

Authorities have termed her as 'super spreader' and the locals have dubbed her 'crazy ajumma' (Korean for aunty). She was initially diagnosed with pneumonia-like symptoms, but the elderly woman resisted doctors¡¯ advice to get tested for the virus twice.

The woman went on to live her daily life which was, of course, full of coming in contact with other people. After rejecting to get tested while being admitted in a local hospital, the woman stepped out in the public on multiple occasions.

AFP

According to reports, she went on to visit a buffet restaurant, a Korean-style public bath and the church, during all of which she was carrying the coronavirus. She has reportedly come in contact with at least a thousand people since then.

The shady Shincheonji church blamed the woman for the spread of the disease and claimed no involvement in the same. Shincheonji founder, Lee, commented on coronavirus and said, "It is an act of the devil who saw the rapid growth of Shincheonji and wants to destroy our advancement."

However, a former member of the Shincheonji church told CNN that illness was ¡°never accepted as a valid reason to miss services¡± and the infected woman had left the hospital to the attend the church's service. Since the drastic rise in the number of infected cases has made the country very worried, the church was forced to give up its 'secret' list of over 240,000 members to the authorities, so that each one of them can be tested for the virus and prevent further damage.

Reuters (Founder of the Church)

There are rumours and online conspiracy theories which accuse the church's conservative leaders of intentionally spreading the coronavirus, to put President Moon's liberal administration's April 2020 general elections in jeopardy.