[CBS NoCut News Reporter Song Ju-Yeol]

[Anchor]
The Wonju City government has recently faced significant disruptions in its operations due to a barrage of relay phone complaints, allegedly from members of the Church of God.

These complaints stem from the city’s rejection of the Church of God’s request to repurpose a building as a religious facility. Over the span of three days, more than 30,000 phone calls were received.

Song Ju-Yeol reports.

[Report]

The Church of God, which has been labeled a heretical sect by major Korean church denominations, recently purchased the former LH Corporation office building in Wondong, Wonju, Gangwon Province, with plans to convert it into a religious facility.

However, the Wonju City government rejected the Church’s application to repurpose the building, citing traffic concerns and local public opinion.

Starting on November 30, the city hall has been inundated with phone complaints, allegedly from members of the Church of God.

The repeated calls to various departments questioning the rejection decision have made normal city operations virtually impossible.

On average, the city receives about 7,000 civil complaint calls per day, but in just two days, November 30 and December 1, they received 35,000 complaint calls.

[Audio] Church of God Member
"I heard from city hall that the Church of God’s building proposal was rejected. I asked about the reason, but I couldn’t understand it at all."

Some members have even visited city hall in person, demanding a meeting with the mayor.

City officials are striving to handle the situation without inconveniencing other civil complaints, but they report that the sustained protests have made normal operations nearly impossible.

[Interview] Wonju City Official
"On the first day alone, we received around 35,000 calls. During a one-hour lunch break, we’d get 100 calls. By the end of half a day, we’d already have 300 to 500 calls."

Since last year, the Church of God has been embroiled in conflicts with local residents over plans to construct a religious facility. This latest organized protest against Wonju City has once again caused unrest in the community.

This is Song Ju-Yeol reporting for CBS News.

[Video Recording] Gangwon CBS, Choi Jae-Hoon
[Video Editing] Lee Jae-Eun