K-Pop Singer Apologizes for Coronavirus Joke
In many places around the world, the first day of April is known as April Fools' Day, a time when people – and even companies – like to make jokes. However, K-pop singer Kim Jae-joong's joke about having the coronavirus didn't make his 1.9 million fans laugh.
"I'm infected with COVID-19 virus," the pop star wrote on Instagram.
While the JYJ singer apologized for his post and deleted it, many fans said they were angry. "A prank about coronavirus is not funny," one fan wrote.
In his apology, Kim said he was hoping to make his fans more aware of COVID-19. By April 1, almost 10,000 people in South Korea had been infected with the virus.
On April 2, an official with the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that giving false information to health officials during an epidemic is illegal, but what Kim did probably wasn't against the law. However, by the same day, over 13,000 people had signed a letter asking for the star to be punished.
According to the History Channel, April Fools' Day may have started in France in 1582. Before that, the start of the new year in France was around April 1. However, when the first day of the calendar year was changed to January 1, not everyone knew about the change. Those who still celebrated the new year on April 1 were called "April fools."
