Members of church at centre of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak visited Wuhan: officials

A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle in front of the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, on Feb 27, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL (REUTERS) - Some members of a church at the centre of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak visited the Chinese city of Wuhan in January, where the disease is believed to have originated, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday (March 1).

Most of the South Korean patients were traced to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the south-eastern city of Daegu. The church had a presence in Wuhan.

Mr Kwon Jun-wook, a KCDC official, confirmed for the first time that some members of the church visited Wuhan, during a briefing.

He said it was unclear how many went there and whether the trip played a role in the outbreak.

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