Law-abiding citizens in the age of social distancing: religion and COVID-19 in South Korea

Abstract

ABSTRACT COVID-19 made social distancing a necessity in the contemporary world, which helped the states establish a justification not only to frame good citizenship but also to define the “anti-social” behaviors of the faithful. South Korea provides a compelling example that demonstrates how the religious are required to be law-abiding citizens in the age of social distancing. This study examines the media’s influence in framing public discourse on pandemic, religion, and citizenship, which enabled the state to initiate a new code of conduct to instruct “how to behave” in Korea. Analyzing Big Data on Shincheonji Church and Sarangjeil Church, which, it is argued, caused the first and second periods of COVID-19 rampancy in Korea, this article claims that the media’s COVID-19 coverage creates the brand-new perception that religion is the most responsible for the spread of COVID-19. The legislation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Law vested the government with excessive authority to limit freedom of religion in the name of the public good. In brief, the year 2020 marked the first year for Koreans to define the faithful who comply with the government's instructions on COVID-19 restrictions as law-abiding citizens and those who oppose as anti-social citizens or criminal offenders.