The governor of Gyeonggi Province directed the raid on Tan Thien Dia headquarters, asking the cardinal to test for nCoV.

On the evening of March 2, Gyeonggi provincial governor Lee Jae Myung went to the "Peace Palace" directly in Gapyeong district, where Mr. Lee Man-hee lived, to conduct investigations and tests. The move took place after the leader of Tan Thien Dia held a press conference in the afternoon and refused to let local health authorities take samples for on-site nCoV testing.

However, when the governor reached the "Peace Palace", Mr. Lee Man-hee left this place.

"We searched inside but there was no one," Lee Jae Myung said at a press conference at 9:20 pm that day, after the raid ended. "However, we learned that Mr. Lee Man-hee came to Gwacheon city medical center and confirmed that he had been sampled for testing."

Mr. Lee Jae Myung said that if the leader of Tan Thien Dia actively cooperated in the first place, it would avoid trouble.

"Regarding his attitude of non-cooperation from 13h40 to now, we will discuss and investigate the responsibility later," he added. "I hope the members of Tan Thien Dia will actively conduct the test."

Earlier, when the Gyeonggi health authorities announced the taking of the sample at 13:30, Mr. Lee refused. After finishing the press conference at 3pm, he still did not cooperate with the authorities.

In a Facebook post, Gov. Lee Jae Myung said the Tan Thien Diao could be investigated and sentenced to a maximum of 2 years in prison for violating infectious disease control and prevention laws. Lee Man-hee is believed to have volunteered to go to Gwacheon medical center for fear of being prosecuted for criminal liability. Results released by the Gyeonggi provincial health official confirmed Lee was negative for nCoV.

On March 1, representatives of the Tan Thien Dia cult announced that the cardinal had tested at a local medical facility and found negative results. However, officials said Lee conducted the virus test in an individual manner that has not been confirmed by public health authorities. The hospital that he tests is not among the government accredited facilities to perform nCov testing.

Nearly 60% of the nearly 5,200 cases of Covid-19 present in Korea are related to the followers of New Heavenly Yard in Daegu City or to those who are related to them.

Seoul city authorities are asking prosecutors to investigate Mr. Lee and the other 11 top leaders of New Heaven on murder and other criminal charges. They believe that Tan Thien Dia contributed to the increase in the number of deaths from Covid-19.

At the press conference, Mr. Lee Man-hee knelt down to apologize for spreading the virus and pledged to support the government to prevent the disease. When asked by reporters if he confirmed he was negative for nCoV, Lee replied that he did not know what "negative means", but that he "had the flu shot". The 88-year-old cardinal also refused to answer when asked by reporters about the "immortal" statement he told his followers.