SEOUL, Oct 20 — K-pop singer Soyou says she was humiliated and discriminated against on a US flight — an experience she calls one of the most painful of her life.
According to The Korea Times, the former Sistar member shared her ordeal yesterday through a social media post, saying she was returning to Seoul from Atlanta after completing work in New York when the incident occurred.
“I was extremely tired and simply asked for a Korean flight attendant to check the meal time,” Soyou wrote.
“But the steward took issue with my attitude and treated me like a problematic passenger.”
She said the situation escalated quickly.
“They even called a security officer,” she continued.
“I had to say, ‘If I’m really the problem, I’ll get off the plane.’ After that, I had to endure cold looks and attitudes for the entire 15-hour flight.”
Soyou added, “At one point I thought, ‘Is this racism?’ I couldn’t eat anything during the whole flight, and the experience left me deeply hurt by what felt like racial prejudice. No one should ever be doubted or humiliated because of their race.”
However, Chosun Ilbo reported that an anonymous online comment, allegedly from another passenger on the same flight, claimed Soyou had been drunk and disorderly.
The comment was later deleted, and there has been no proof of its veracity.
Nonetheless, Soyou’s post has struck a chord with fans and reignited discussion about racial bias in international air travel — particularly involving Asian passengers.
In 2023, singer and actor Hyeri also reported being forcibly downgraded from first class to economy on a foreign airline without refund, calling it “unfair treatment.” Delta Air Lines, the carrier involved, later attributed the downgrade to an aircraft change for safety reasons.
Earlier this year, Korean-American film director Timothy Chey accused Delta of racial discrimination, alleging he was berated with racist remarks and denied boarding after refusing to translate for staff. The case is now the subject of a federal lawsuit in Florida.
For Soyou, the emotional toll remains raw.
“I just want to share this so that others don’t have to go through what I did,” she told fans.
