The Whole Performance Lasted 11 Hours

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Both organizations "threw their full weight behind the event to make it a great success," says the official explanation. Mannam rounded up thousands of volunteers not only to attend the festival but also to donate time, expertise and enthusiasm over months of rehearsals. The campaign for volunteers was all in the name of peace, of helping people in dire straits.

All 135 followers were tested. The church's pastor, identified only as Kim, apologized for the mass infection of his church members. I feel deeply sorry about what has happened. I will take all the blame and responsibility,' Kim told Yonhap News Agency, indicating his intention to retire after the ongoing crisis is over.

Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking on this link, and please send any tips, leads, and stories to virus@time.com. Its adherents believe the religion is the one true version of Christianity, and that they will be the only ones to achieve salvation when judgement day arrives, according to its scripture. Relatives of adherents to the sect have said in media reports that they have been cut off from contacting family members. One woman is believed to have spread the virus (officially named as COVID-19) among the Shincheonji sect. Officials said she had come into contact with 166 people, who were asked to quarantine themselves, according to the Associated Press. The cases linked to the sect are clustered in the city of Daegu, in the south of the country. South Korea now has the third-most infections of the coronavirus in the world, behind China and Japan. Globally, more than 75,750 people are infected and 2,130 have died. The vast majority of cases (74,579) are in mainland China — but there are confirmed cases in 30 countries and provinces around the world, including in Europe and North America.

Back on Feb. 19, South Korea coronavirus Korean President Moon Jae-In stated that a full survey and diagnosis of Shincheonji members were necessary. On Feb. 25, Shincheonji Church handed a list of 210,000 members to health authorities with the condition of protecting their identities. On Feb. 26, health authorities began telephone surveys and tests for those who had symptoms.

Despite avoiding the need to enact the lockdowns that have significantly impacted economies in Europe and the United States, South Korean has not been able to avoid a COVID-19 induced recession. GDP mostly declined on weak demand for South Korean exports, which account for around 40 percent of GDP. For the full year, the Bank of Korea now expects GDP to decline by more than 2 percent, while the OECD estimates that it will fall by 2.5 percent. With GDP in decline the economy has continued to shed jobs. 917 million in unemployment benefits, with the services sector hardest hit. The travel industry has seen a decline of 60,000 workers, while the lodging and food industry has shed 133,000 jobs.