A pastor has been fined for violating an in-person worship ban imposed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus here, a local court said Tuesday.

The Gwangju District Court sentenced the pastor, only identified as a 57-year-old, to a fine of 2 million won ($1,766) on charges of breaching the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

The pastor was accused of holding an in-person worship service attended by 198 people at a church in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on July 8, despite the city government's administrative order not to do so.

The city government had banned an indoor gathering of over 50 people and over 100 people outdoors from July 4-15, under the Level 2 social distancing scheme in the country's three-tier system, amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Under the infectious disease control act, those who violate the no-assembly order can be fined up to 3 million won.

"The offense should not be taken lightly, considering the danger of COVID-19 transmissions and the importance of virus prevention," the court said. But it took into consideration that the pastor admitted his wrongdoing and that no cases of virus transmission occurred from the gathering, it added. (Yonhap)