South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan reacts during a news conference to brief his doping ban on March 27, 2015. [Photo/IC]

SEOUL, South Korea - Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan of South Korea has offered a public apology four days after received an 18-month ban for failing a doping test.

Park, who won the 400-meter freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was handed the ban Monday by world swimming governing body FINA after testing positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition drug test. The FINA ban began retroactively the day of the positive test in early September.

Park's agency has blamed the results on an injection administered by a local hospital, which offered him free chiropractic and other treatments in July.

Park told a televised news conference Friday he is sorry for having disappointed his fans and South Korean people.

A teary Park says the last few months were like "hell" for him.