New Heavenly Priest Lee Man-hee refused to take a sample at a press conference yesterday and declared himself negative to nCoV.

The afternoon press conference of Lee Man-hee was originally scheduled to be held in the basement hall of a church in Gapyeong district, Gyeonggi province, but was later requested by the provincial authorities to relocate due to safety concerns.

A representative of the Tan Thien Dia cult yesterday morning said the cardinal had tested at a local health facility and found negative results for nCoV. However, the Gapyeong county health authority could not confirm whether he had been tested or not.

Park Hyun-su, the provincial communications official, said that although the local government had announced in advance that he would be tested at the press conference, Lee refused to let the officials sample it.

"Mr. Lee conducted a virus test in an individual manner that has not been confirmed by public health authorities," Park said. "The hospital that the denomination says he has tested is not among government-approved facilities to perform nCov testing."

With the large number of people attending the press conference, officials decided to move the event outdoors due to "clear health hazards."

When asked by reporters if he confirmed that he was negative for nCoV, Lee replied that he didn't 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.

Nearly 60% of the more than 4,800 cases of Covid-19 present in South Korea are related to the followers of the New Heavenly Yard in Daegu City or to their related people. Experts predict the number of infections will rise in the coming days as health officials complete testing of more than 210,000 members of the sect.

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.

During a press conference yesterday afternoon, Mr. Lee dropped to his knees in apology for spreading the virus and pledged to support the government to stop the epidemic. However, Liberal MP Kim Kwang-soo, a member of the South Korean parliament's Health and Welfare Committee, said Lee's apology was "too late".

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Kim urged prosecutors to launch an investigation into Mr Lee, accusing him of deliberately hiding information about members and places of worship.

Kim Young-eun, a leader of New Heavenly Land, said the cardinal's press conference was held in response to "growing concern regarding the high number of cases among sectarian followers." . She declined to comment on Lee's murder.

Korea Lawyer Association spokesman Hur Yoon said Lee could face charges of violating disease control laws. His apology and admitting mistakes in public may be evidence against him in court.

"Deliberately spreading contagious diseases will be punished according to the law," he said. "Depending on the level, he may be convicted of inciting his followers or at least complicit."

Tark Ji-il, a scholar and professor of neo-heavenly studies at the Elderly University of Busan, said that what Lee needed to do was not apologize to the public but to ask the believers to cooperate with him. government. The cardinal's repentant attitude may only be a deliberate arrangement and cause even more Tan Thien Dia followers to hide.

"For them, Lee Man-hee bowing to the world drew a picture that the new planet of heaven is being mistreated," said Tark. "This will only strengthen the basis for his followers."