There’s myriad different ways to raise awareness about the novel coronavirus and we have to say, this one absolutely missed the mark.
K-Pop star Kim Jaejoong is catching heat for a new Instagram post on Wednesday where he told millions of followers he tested positive for COVID-19, only to later admit it was all a total lie! WTF?!
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According to the translations provided by news site Soompi, here’s how the JYJ band member initially revealed the diagnosis in his IG post:
“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.”
Jaejoong said he wished he’d taken the news about the global health crisis more seriously before getting to this point:
“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.”
Wow. This would’ve been so incredibly heartfelt if it were actually true. But less than an hour after the message went up, Kim edited the post to clarify he did NOT have the coronavirus and this was all just an April Fool’s prank to bring awareness and hopefully minimize casualties of the contagious disease.
*facepalm*
We guess that unspoken rule about not f**king around with this silly holiday during a pandemic should’ve been clarified a bit more for some people…
The outlet also published a translation of Kim’s edited caption where he begged fans to understand where he was coming from. He wrote:
“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.”
Jaejoong noted how quickly the virus can spread and why it shouldn’t be ignored:
“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.”
Then he tried to evoke sympathy for his irresponsible “joke,” writing:
“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.”
Jaejoong’s statement concluded with:
“I will accept all punishment I receive from this post. I hope all of you are healthy.”
Punishment is an accurate word choice! Read through what a few angry fans had to say about the harebrained stunt online:
The more I think about it, the more I am just so damn disappointed in Jaejoong.
In his new post, he talks about how people around him are testing positive and how worried he is. How dare he think himself justified to inflict that same kind of fear and terror in us?
— REST❄Jee???? (@jeeelim5) April 1, 2020
What Jaejoong did was immature and insensitive. I know he wanted to raise awareness, but there were 1000 other possible ways to do it. I will continue following him tho, it's like he hurt someone. But please Jaej, next time think more before posting something like that. pic.twitter.com/sUvQeiD40s
— ????????TAEMIN???????? (@ShroomyTen) April 1, 2020
Although, there were a few users who felt differently about the dramatic PSA! Some thought it was brave for the K-pop star to risk being canceled to get an important message across:
Jaejoong hoped to bring further awareness to the seriousness of the virus. His actions were unwise, but they were not malicious. He's fully aware that he did something he shouldn't have done. He has sincerely apologized, but he'll have to face the consequences.
That's inevitable.— 힐링보이스 ✨ (@healingvoice86) April 1, 2020
Ask yourselves this; Who else would sacrifice their own reputation to being awareness to others, in the hopes of saving lives? Only Jaejoong. Do I wish he had made a different choice? YES! But he wanted people to FEEL something and change careless behavior. He's not stupid.
— galewind (@galegreenoak) April 1, 2020
Hmm. It still doesn’t sit well with us — but what do U think, Perezcious readers? Was this a meaningful joke or completely insensitive given how many lives have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak?
Weigh in on the conversation in the comments section (below)!
[Image via Kim Jaejoong/Instagram]
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