The JYJ band member apologized Wednesday for an egregious gag on Instagram in which he falsely claimed that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, much to the chagrin of his devastated fans. He characterized the harebrained stunt as a PSA to raise awareness in an effort to “minimize coronavirus casualties.”

“I am also personally aware that it was something that shouldn’t be done,” wrote the pop sensation in a long-winded post to his Instagram account, which has nearly 2 million followers.

“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,” he added.

Jaejoong confessed to the stunt only an hour after his initial post, reports the New York Times.

In a likely bid to garner sympathy, the seemingly regretful Jaejoong even wrote about his father’s apparent battle with lung cancer that required frequent hospital visits. “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,” Jaejoong wrote.

The vocalist ended by expressing his “apologies to the people who have suffered because of COVID-19 and to the people who were disrupted in their administrative work.” The pop star also gave a shout-out to the “government agencies and medical professionals who are working hard because of COVID-19.”

Jaejoong’s initial fake COVID-19 declaration, which was eventually deleted, garnered an outpouring of support from his legions of adoring fans. “Although this did go quite far for April Fool’s Day, so many people worried about me in a short span of time,” he wrote in his apology. “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!!”

He concluded by saying, “I will accept all punishment I receive from this post. I hope all of you are healthy.”

Needless to say, the pop star’s despicable joke didn’t sit well with fans, with one commenter asking, “How can you pull a prank like this when the situation right now is so serious?” Jaejoong even deactivated his account in the wake of the cavalcade of criticism, reports the New York Times.

His label, C-JeS Entertainment, told the news website Allkpop that it would “check on the matter.”

Unfortunately, misinformation about the coronavirus has been as virulent as the disease itself. Recently, several countries in Asia even threatened jail time over COVID-related April Fools’ pranks.