China News Service, Seoul, January 13th (Reporter Zeng Nai) In response to the "Xintiandi Church" chairman Li Wanxi suspected of obstructing the prevention and control of the epidemic, the South Korean court made a first-instance judgment on the 13th and found that the crime of obstructing epidemic prevention was not guilty.
However, the court found that Li Wanxi's misappropriation of church funds was true.
On June 23, 2020, Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea was closed.
Affected by the epidemic in the capital, some local attractions were closed.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zeng Nai
In February last year, the "Xintiandi" Daegu church had a serious mass infection, which triggered a major outbreak in South Korea.
The Daegu City Government filed a lawsuit against Li Wanxi, arguing that he was responsible for the spread of the epidemic, and demanded 100 billion won in compensation.
South Korean prosecutors demanded that Lee Man-hee be sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing the investigation of the epidemic.
In August last year, Li Wanxi was arrested and prosecuted, and was subsequently released on bail.
On January 13 this year, South Korea’s Suwon District Court made a first-instance verdict on Li Wanxi’s suspected obstruction of epidemic prevention, and held that he was not guilty of obstructing epidemic prevention.
The court stated that the South Korean epidemic prevention department requires the "Xintiandi Church" to provide a list of members, a list of facilities, and other requirements, which are not part of the epidemiological investigation required by the law. Li Wanxi cannot be punished for obstructing epidemic prevention because of missing some data.
However, the court found that Li Wanxi’s misappropriation of church funds was true and sentenced Li Wanxi to three years’ imprisonment and four years of probation.
Li Wanxi has always denied all allegations.
Last year, he held a press conference and publicly knelt down to apologize.
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