Wednesday (Apr 1) – On April 1, K-pop star and former JYJ group member, Kim Jaejoong, decided to address his 1.9 million followers on his Instagram account to announce that he was positive for Covid-19.
A post from the website allkpop.com shared a translation of his message where he says, “I’ve been infected with COVID19. This was all due to my carelessness, for ignoring the advice provided by the government and all those around me. It’s a wonder how significantly one person’s actions can affect the great society…”
The 34-year old continued, “I am apologetic toward those who many have also been inflicted with the virus because of me. I’ve become like this because of my stupid decision, to live thinking it’ll never be me. I am being hospitalized. I am wrapped up feelings of gratitude and apology while reflecting on my past. There are so many things I want to say.. I want to see so many people..”
His announcement created quite a stir because the K-pop star, who happens to be in Japan doing promotional work, performed on a Japanese music programme live, just one day before on Tuesday (Mar 31).
Fans and netizens alike expressed their sadness over his condition, sending him get-well-soon wishes and prayers for his swift recovery. Even his own label, C-Jes Entertainment, didn’t know about his condition and told the concerned public when asked about his situation, “We just came across the post now. We will check on the matter.”
Not even an hour had passed when Jaejoong decided to update his post and tell fans that it was all just an April Fool’s prank. He shared, “This prank was too out-of-hand for a simple April Fool’s joke, and many people worried about me in a short period of time. (Covid-19) is definitely not something that only happens to other people… I will accept all punishment for this post.”
It went without saying that Jaejoong’s fans and other social media users that came across his post were incredibly upset, and for good reason. More than half a million citizens worldwide have suffered at the hands of this deadly disease, and countries all over the world are suffering on all levels.
Needless to say, many of these netizens gave Mr Joong a piece of their mind. One such person wrote, “How can you pull a prank like this when the situation right now is so serious? It’s really disappointing.”
Another comment read, “My friend’s brother had a heart issue and he caught the virus. I found out yesterday that he never made it so I’m absolutely furious that a joke like this was played.”
While yet another said, “Covid-19 isn’t something to joke about at this scale. As mentioned, he was at a music show the night before. Imagine all those staff members and their family stressing over this April Fool’s prank?! This is so disrespectful to all those people that are infected or have passed away. And on top of that, those that are struggling financially due to this. Thoroughly disappointed.”
The original Instagram post had over 60,000 likes, but the artist has since taken it down, replacing it with his apology instead. Of course, many still feel that the gesture is all a little too late. Despite the fact that Kim Jaejoong willingly accepts all consequences for his actions and apologized to everyone he has unwittingly affected, he’s certainly lost the respect and love of many of his fans. /TISG