Attendance and donations at presbyterian churches in South Korea have been sharply reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed.

In the survey of 1,135 member pastors of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea, 68.8 percent said church donations have decreased due to COVID-19, while 30.1 percent said there had been no change and 1 percent said it had increased.

During the period between March and early April, when infections spiked, attendance at in-person services dropped to an estimated 42.4 percent of the pre-pandemic level, the survey suggested. The figure grew to 61.8 percent on May 24 when the outbreak showed signs of subsiding. (Yonhap)