SISTAR member SOYOU alleges she faced racial discrimination onboard a U.S. airline while flying back to Korea.
On Oct. 19, she took to social media: “After wrapping my schedule in New York, I boarded a connecting flight from Atlanta to Korea. I was exhausted and simply asked for a Korean-speaking crew member to confirm the meal time, but the purser judged my attitude, treated me like a problem passenger, and suddenly called security.”
She continued, “I even said I would get off the plane if I was the problem, then spent the rest of the flight enduring cold stares and behavior. In that moment, I wondered, ‘Is this racism?’ I went more than 15 hours without eating, and the experience left a deep wound rooted in racial bias.” She added, “No one should be suspected or humiliated because of their race.”
According to SOYOU, the flight was operated by a U.S. carrier, and she shared a photo of her boarding pass with the post.
The claims have not been independently verified. An online commenter who said they were on the same flight alleged that SOYOU was heavily intoxicated and declined the meal herself, adding they heard staff say passengers should not board while drunk. The commenter criticized framing the incident as “unfair” or “racism.”
Her label has not commented.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)