‘I have Covid-19’: K-pop star’s April Fool’s Instagram post backfires as social media and fans react with anger
- Kim Jae-joong has angered South Koreans with his Instagram April Fool’s joke, saying he was infected and in hospital
- He deleted the post and later said he did it to raise awareness of the coronavirus
K-pop singer Kim Jae-joong has come under fire on social media for announcing on Instagram that he had contracted the novel coronavirus, only to reveal an hour later that it was an April Fool’s Day joke.
Kim, a former member of the boy band boy band TVXQ as well as the trio JYJ, first announced to his 1.9 million Instagram followers in Korean today that “I’ve been infected with Covid-19. 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 greater society. I am apologetic toward those who may have also been inflicted with the virus because of me … I am being hospitalised.”
But in another post an hour later, Kim revealed the announcement was an April Fool’s prank allegedly aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of the coronavirus.
“To have someone you love or someone precious to you be infected with a virus is a heartbreaking thing. Despite that fact, there are so many people who are still roaming the streets, acting as if it won’t ever happen to them.
