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K-Pop Star Jaejoong Says He Has Coronavirus, Later Admits It Was April Fool's Prank

K-Pop star Kim Jae-joong, better known as Jaejoong, of the K-pop group JYJ, pulled an April Fools Day prank on April 1 by telling his fans he was hospitalized for Coronavirus.

In a now-deleted post on Instagram to his nearly 2 million followers, the 34-year-old entertainer said he was “sorry to those who could have been infected because of me.”

He added, “It was because I lived carelessly, disregarding all of the cautions provided by the government and those around me,” the New York Times reports.

South Korea currently has 9,887 confirmed cases including 165 deaths. Fans expressed great concern when they read his original message.

A short time later, he admitted it was a prank, saying, “So many people walk the streets and live their lives without their guards up, ignoring it… and thinking it won’t happen to them, and it makes me so worried that my family and friends might get sick.”

“Staying on alert right now.. That is what I say to myself again and again. Although this did go quite far for April Fool’s Day, so many people worried about me in a short span of time,” he continued. “Oh… and I don’t think of this as an April Fool’s joke. My family and my friends are getting sick.. and dying.. It’s never!! just someone else’s problem. I wanted to tell you that protecting myself is protecting the precious people around us. I will accept all punishment I receive from this post. I hope all of you are healthy.”

The admission that it was a prank caused a ton of backlash with his fans, calling him “insensitive.”

Here’s all of our coverage on COVID-19 and it’s affects on the world.