South Korea's Supreme Court has upheld a 3 million won ($2,200) fine against a pastor who repeatedly violated COVID-19 gathering restrictions to hold in-person worship services during the pandemic.
The Supreme Court's Second Division, led by Justice Oh Kyung-mi, on Monday affirmed the lower court ruling against Pastor Son Hyun-bo of Busan's World Church, who was charged with violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.
The court found no legal errors in the lower court's interpretation of the infectious disease prevention law.
Pastor Son was indicted for holding 10 in-person worship services between August 2020 and January 2021, defying Busan Metropolitan City's ban on in-person religious gatherings during the COVID-19 outbreak.
In two separate first-instance trials, Pastor Son received fines of 3 million won and 700,000 won respectively. The appellate court consolidated both cases and imposed a single fine of 3 million won.
"Administrative measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases aim to promote and maintain public health, which makes it highly necessary to punish violations," the appellate court stated. The court criticized Pastor Son, noting that "repeatedly violating the order multiple times constitutes an aggravating factor."