K-pop star Kim Jaejoong to face potential punishment after falsely announcing COVID-19 diagnosis
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Kim Jaejoong may face punishment after falsely announcing he has COVID-19 on April Fool's Day.
What originally was supposed to be an April Fool's joke turned out to be quite a disaster for Korean pop star Kim Jae Joong.
Yesterday, April 1, Kim Jaejoong falsely announced that he's been diagnosed with COVID-19. He later edited (the now deleted) post to say that it isn't true and explained that his intention was to simply promote awareness about the pandemic.
He originally 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.
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.”
Hours later, he posted an apology letter on his Instagram after falsely announcing that he has contracted the disease.
His letter writes, “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.
“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.”
Now, according to a representative from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) they are looking into what might happen next to the K-pop star.
“We're currently looking into the case regarding Kim Jaejoong,” they said, as reported by news outlet Soompi.
“It involves spreading false information so we're discussing how exactly the punishment will be carried out.
“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.”
Similarly, Kim Kang Rip, the first chief coordinator at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said, “April 1st is April Fool's day --- which originated in the West.
“However, we are currently in very serious time and our society is not in a place where we can accept prank calls or false information.”
Based on the Korean law, if someone deceives a government employee or institution, they could face a maximum of five years in prison or a fine of a maximum of 10 million won.
Kim Jaejoong was heavily criticized for potentially creating chaos by posting false information on social media. As a celebrity, he has a great deal of influence.
As of writing, there were alleged petitions filed on the presidential Blue House website titled, “Please punish celebrity Kim for his April Fool's Day prank.”
Kim Jaejoong is a South Korean singer and actor who is best known to be a member of the Korean pop group JYJ and was one of the original members of TVXQ.
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