Rapper New Champ apologized after falsely stating that he turned himself in to the police on Saturday for using illegal drugs.

Local media on Friday reported that a rapper in their 30s turned themselves in for using illegal drugs and that this rapper is currently under investigation. New Champ subsequently made a comment on an Instagram post sharing the news, implying that he was the unnamed rapper.

“I turned myself in because people called me a gimmick who didn’t even do drugs,” the comment read, referring to people who accused him of using drug-related lyrics to attract attention even though he hasn't used drugs, in his song "Da Mugeotta," which when translated means "ate it all." “I’m not a gimmick anymore. It was good, though.”

Following backlash online, however, he apologized the following day, saying that his comment was a "joke."

“My childish judgment became a disgusting joke,” he said on his Instagram. “I apologize [for my behavior]. I now know that such jokes shouldn’t be made. I truly thought everyone would receive it as a joke, but now I know that was not the case.”

He continued, “I feel pathetic for not knowing that such a comment I wrote just for fun would become this big of an issue. I have not done any illegal drugs.”

New Champ debuted in 2013 as a rapper and appeared on Mnet’s hip-hop competition show “Show Me the Money 3” in 2014.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]