Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong actor Edison Chen said he'll quit show business after admitting taking sexually explicit photos with celebrities that leaked onto the Web and generated a wave of media coverage.

``I am deeply sorry,'' Chen told more than 300 journalists at a press conference in Hong Kong today. ``I admit most of the photos being circulated on the Internet were taken by me. I would like to apologize to all the ladies and their families.''

Hundreds of photos published online and in newspapers led to debate about Hong Kong pornography laws and a public apology from a female pop star. The pictures were posted on the Web after about 1,300 photo files were stolen from a computer sent to a repair shop, police said.

The sex-photo scandal involved at least six Hong Kong actresses, singers and models. Chen, a 27-year-old Canadian-born Chinese actor and singer famous in Hong Kong, returned to the city today to explain the incident after pictures started appearing from Jan. 28.

Photographs featuring Chen with different women in various sexual positions have spread through blogs, e-mails and chat rooms. Chen starred in Hong Kong film ``Infernal Affairs,'' remade as Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winner ``The Departed.''

`Very Private'

``These photos were very private,'' Chen said. ``They were never intended to be shown to anyone. They were stolen from me and distributed without my consent.''

Hong Kong pop star and actress Gillian Chung earlier this month apologized to fans for the impact caused by the scandal, without confirming or denying she was the woman in some of the photos. Chung, 27, in pop group ``Twins,'' said she'll keep working.

Hong Kong police arrested a man in connection with the case, and later released him, dropping charges. As many as nine other arrests have been made, according to police.

Chen instructed his lawyer to protect the women in the pictures by claiming copyright. The downloading, storing and copying of each infringe copyright law, Chen's solicitors, Woo Kwan Lee and Lo, said in a statement today.

China's Internet police cracked down on the distribution of Chen's photos, pledging to prosecute anyone found selling or distributing them. As many as 10 people have been detained for allegedly selling DVDs containing the photos, Xinhua News Agency said.

Baidu.com Inc., operator of China's most-used Internet search site, was censured this week for failing to block access to the photos, according to the Beijing Association of Online Media, a state-run guild that acts as a watchdog.

Chen said he will quit the Hong Kong entertainment industry to ``heal himself'' and devote time to charity work, without giving a timeframe.

``I've failed as a role model,'' he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Wendy Leung in Hong Kong at wleung12@bloomberg.net; Nipa Piboontanasawat in Hong Kong at npiboontanas@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 21, 2008 06:15 EST