A COVID-19 patient who ran away from a hospital was apprehended in the early hours of Wednesday.

The man, in his 50s, was confirmed to have the coronavirus after attending a service at the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul.

He was apprehended at about 1:15 a.m. at a coffee shop in Sinchon, Seoul, after running away from the hospital in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, 25 hours earlier.

It has been reported that there were about 40 people at the coffee shop when the man was taken into custody.

His motive for running away from the hospital, where he was in isolation and receiving treatment for COVID-19, remains unclear.

The Sarang Jeil Church, led by the controversial pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, is at the center of a resurgence of the virus in Seoul and the surrounding area. Several hundred members of the congregation have been confirmed positive for the virus, including Jun, his wife and his secretary.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)