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Soyou responds to claims she was drunk on U.S. airline flight where she alleged discrimination

Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 09:25 Updated: 21 Oct. 2025, 19:54

Soyou, a singer of girl group Sistar, alleged in a social media post on Oct. 19 that she faced social prejudice while on a Korea-bound U.S. flight. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Singer Soyou issued a second statement on Monday evening in response to allegations that she was drunk on a recent flight on a U.S. airline where she claims she was discriminated against.

“I only had a small amount of alcohol with my meal at the lounge before boarding,” Soyou, a member of girl group Sistar, wrote on Instagram. “There were no problems or restrictions during the boarding process.”

She denied claims circulating online that she was intoxicated, saying, “Because it was a flight to Korea, I assumed there would be a flight attendant who spoke Korean. When I asked for something, it seems my English was mistranslated and misinterpreted, which led to the cabin manager and a security officer approaching me.”

“A Korean-speaking flight attendant did come over and helped facilitate the conversation,” she continued. “It was confirmed that there was no problem on my part, and I boarded and arrived as planned.”

“Although it may have been a misunderstanding, a number of humiliating incidents occurred afterward,” she added. “While I was walking to the restroom from my seat, I encountered a flight attendant pushing a service cart. The flight attendant asked me to step aside, and I did as requested and waited for the cart to pass. But then the cabin manager ordered me to ‘get out of here right now’ in a harsh tone. A flight attendant who had asked me to move explained on my behalf, but I received no apology.”

Soyou also said, “One of the staff members I was traveling with asked for a Korean menu, but another foreign-language menu was handed over without any explanation. Even though the Korean-speaking flight attendant repeatedly apologized, I still feel confused and disappointed by everything that happened on board and by the cold attitude that lasted throughout the flight.”

She stressed that she did not speak out to seek compensation or expose anyone, saying, “I couldn’t clearly object at the time, but I’m not sharing this to get compensation or to reveal anything. I just hope no one else goes through what I did.”

On Sunday, Soyou posted a photo of her U.S. airline ticket on Instagram, alleging she experienced racial discrimination during the flight.

Following her post, an online account claiming to be from a fellow passenger alleged that Soyou appeared drunk and said she refused food. The account added that staff told her she could not board the flight while intoxicated.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]