With COVID-19 dominating the news due to the virus’ global spread, many take news of the virus seriously. For many with family members with compromised immune systems, even joking about having the virus is somewhat of a touchy subject and no laughing matter.
On April 1, 2020, singer Jaejoong (TVXQ, JYJ) initially worried fans when he posted on social media that he is currently in the hospital with COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus).
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Jaejoong said:
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.
As news spread and his agency, CJeS Entertainment, stated they were investigating the matter as the star is in Japan, Jaejoong once again posted on social media, this time to state his initial post was an April Fool’s Day joke.
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.
While the initial post saw an outpouring of well wishes, the admittance that the story was fake and his explanation fell flat with fans who called the star out on his poor joke taste and caused the hashtag #Jaejoongisoverparty to trend on Twitter. The backlash caused him to post another apology.
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.
Jaejoong’s Instagram account was also temporarily unavailable.
Jaejoong’s post caused a domino effect that prompted the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) to respond regarding a potential punishment for spreading false information.
“We are currently looking into the case regarding Kim Jaejoong,” a KCDC representation said. “It involves the spreading of false information, so we’re discussing how exactly the punishment will be carried out.”
The representative continued, “It’s possible to punish those who are reported for inciting disorder by continually making malicious prank phone calls to the epidemic prevention authorities, however this case is something done by a celebrity on social media, and so it seems more internal discussion is required.”
Star News reports that there is a current Blue House petition asking for Jaejoong to be punished for his tasteless joke. According to Soompi, Star News states “if someone deceives a government employee or institution and therefore disrupts the performance of their duties, they could face a maximum of five years in prison or a fine of a maximum of 10 million won (approximately $8,090). This act is referred to as an ‘obstruction of performance of official duties by fraudulent means.’”
Since the controversy, Jaejoong has canceled various appearances in Japan including NHK Radio’s Furuya Masayuki’s PopA and TV Asahi’s Music Station. In Korea, there are discussions regarding if his show Travel Buddies will be halted.
Unfortunately, this isn’t Jaejoong’s first rodeo with tasteless April Fool’s Day pranks as he pulled pranks involving fake marriage news and fainting on stage. Hopefully, with some reflection, he’ll realize some things aren’t worth the joke.
Photo cr. Channel-Korea
—-Olivia Murray