Update: JYJ's Kim Jaejoong Clarifies That His Post About Testing Positive For COVID-19 Was For April Fool's Day + Posts Apology

Updated April 1 KST:

JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong has now posted an apology letter on his Instagram after falsely announcing that he had COVID-19 on April Fool’s Day.

His letter is as follows:

I am also personally aware that it was something that shouldn’t be done.

First, over the social media post I wrote, I want to express my sincere apologies to the people who have suffered because of COVID-19 and to the people who were disrupted in their administrative work.

Bad judgment. I knew that’s what this was.

The current lack of awareness of response methods and the dangerousness of the virus outbreak.
I wanted to convey that message because I hoped that people would be more aware and therefore we could minimize the number of people who suffer because of COVID-19.

It’s so scary to think that things like people spending time outside in the warm weather as spring arrives, or coming in contact with others in an enclosed space while making use of leisurely time as the start of the semester is postponed, could cause a secondary or tertiary resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

My father also recently had lung cancer surgery and he went to the hospital often.

When I saw the medical staff and patients at the hospital, I felt a bit angry and I wished that people thought of the virus as not someone else’s problem, but their own problem.

Contrary to the people who actually are working hard to get us out of COVID-19, there are many people who enjoy their leisure time while dressing just as usual and not wearing a mask. When I heard that, I thought there needed to be more awareness.

In many different kinds of media and on the internet, there are both big and small requests for people to take caution, but there are people who do not listen to that, and I wanted to convey the dangerousness of the current situation to them one way or another. “Please, listen. Please. Don’t get sick.”

There are also confirmed cases among the people I know. This made me feel certain that this is not something that is happening far away, and it made me more scared.

Self-reflecting after losing someone is no help at all.

It’s frustrating and hard but I want to try a bit harder than now and get through this difficult time together. My post today… it went very far, but I thought that if people paid a large amount of interest to it, then they might listen. This method has hurt a lot of people and I am receiving criticism for it.

For causing distress, I sincerely apologize to the government agencies and medical professionals who are working hard because of COVID-19 and to the many people who are following instructions to give up on their lifestyles and are doing all they can to overcome this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-b9vV7DJ-B/

Original Article:

On April 1, JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong took to his personal Instagram account to write that he had tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).

I have been infected with COVID-19. It is a result of my negligence, ignoring the cautionary words shared by the government and those around me.

A person’s individual actions can have such a big impact on society as a whole. I am so sorry to those who may have been infected because of me.

My foolish judgment to live as though it couldn’t happen to me is why I am like this today. I am currently hospitalized. I am reflecting on my past a lot and feeling both grateful and sorry.

There are many things I want to say. There are many people I want to see so much.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-bUJABDDcL/

His agency CJeS Entertainment released a statement that they were currently trying to confirm the news as he is in Japan.

Soon after, Kim Jaejoong edited the caption on the same Instagram post to clarify that he did not have COVID-19. His statement reads as follows:

What if the people we love, someone precious to us, contracted the virus?

It’s such a heart-wrenching thing to think about.

Despite this, 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. Believing that we and the people around us will be safe will end up making us and everything around us sick.

Currently, a growing number of my acquaintances and industry representatives are being tested positive. It is not something that is far away.

When negligence turns a sad premonition into reality, it’s not something that we can simply end by wiping our tears away.

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.

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.

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