Hong Kong pop star Joey Yung came under fire after she posted a selfie wearing a face mask on Facebook.

“I never thought that a lyric and a selfie…would attract this storm. I am extremely sorry,” she said.

Joey Yung Cho-yee has apologised for the social media post that some netizens in mainland China said was evidence of her supporting the anti-government protests in the city.

39-year-old Yung deleted the Facebook photo of herself wearing a surgical face mask along with a lyric taken from her song Airport while on a plane.

Yung denies supporting Hong Kong independence, which is the main aim of the anti-government protests, according to mainland state media.

Photo: Screengrab from Instagram

An anti-mask law was passed on Oct 4 and protestors in the city have worn face masks as a symbol of defiance.

Hunan Television has cut Yung from the list of performers at a star-studded gala concert and the apology might have come too late.