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K-pop star Kim Jaejoong has apologised after telling fans he was in hospital battling Covid-19, admitting that it was in fact an ill-advised April Fool’s joke.
The singer had told fans he contracted the virus after ignoring government warnings and “living carelessly.”
But less than an hour later, the singer said it had been a joke for April Fool’s Day and claimed he wished to “raise awareness” of the deadly virus.
The singer said he would “receive all punishment that I am due for this post”.
He wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post: “To have someone you love or someone precious to you be infected with a virus? It 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; many people are worried that their family and loved ones may fall ill because of such people.
“Mistakenly thinking that you and the people around you will remain safe can do a lot of damage. Many of my acquaintances and staff are also seeing their loved ones testing positive for the virus. This is not a faraway story.
“I do not think that you can end with just tears when sorrow caused by carelessness becomes reality. Let’s maintain the current alertness…
“This prank was much too out of hand for a simple April Fool’s joke, but many people worried for me in a short period of time. ‘This is definitely not something that only happens to other people! I wanted to tell everyone that protecting yourself is also the solution to protecting others.
“I will receive all punishment that I am due for this post. I hope you will all stay healthy.”
He added in a follow-up apology: “It was not right – I know that. I just wanted to deliver a message that we should all be aware of the risk to minimise the number of victims.”
The 34-year-old has a long history of pranking fans, with previous April Fools’ jokes seeing him announcing false marriage plans.
So far, more than 47,000 people have died from coronavirus across the globe.
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