According to an exclusive report by iMBC Entertainment on October 31, Delta Air Lines recently issued a formal apology to SISTAR’s Soyou for the “series of events” that occurred during her flight. Her representatives have since accepted the apology and stated that the airline has promised to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Earlier this month, Soyou faced mixed reactions online after alleging that she experienced racial discrimination aboard a Delta Airlines flight. However, multiple witnesses have since come forward with conflicting statements, claiming that the singer was intoxicated during the incident.
On October 20, several posts surfaced on Korean online communities from individuals who claimed to have been on the same flight as Soyou. One user wrote, “Soyou seemed drunk and said she was too tired to eat the in-flight meal. I even heard the crew telling her that passengers shouldn’t board while intoxicated.”
The witness continued, “It was embarrassing to see her claim it was racial discrimination. As a Korean and a fan, I felt ashamed. The flight attendants handled the situation professionally.”
Another passenger also shared a similar account, stating, “It was a night flight, so I didn’t notice at first. But it got noisy later, and when I looked, it was Soyou. She asked for a Korean flight attendant because she said she couldn’t read the menu while drunk. There was no security guard involved.”
In a statement released on October 20 via her agency, Soyou clarified her actions during the flight and rejected circulating rumors.
According to Soyou, she routinely checks meal schedules after boarding flights to help regulate her sleep and physical condition. This time was no different—after stowing her luggage, she approached a flight attendant to ask about the meal schedule. Due to her limited English proficiency, the conversation proved difficult, prompting her to request assistance from a Korean-speaking crew member.
Soyou said that during this request, her English may have been mistranslated, which resulted in the purser and a security officer arriving at her seat. “They confirmed there was no issue, and I remained on board and entered the country as scheduled,” she said. “However, even after this misunderstanding, I continued to experience actions that felt demeaning.”
She further detailed that while waiting for a food cart to pass, after being told to stand aside by a crew member, the purser ordered her to “leave this area immediately” in an aggressive tone. Though the crew member explained that Soyou was standing there at their request, no apology followed. Additionally, when a staff member accompanying her asked for a Korean menu, they were handed a menu in another foreign language without explanation.
“I was taken aback and disappointed by the cold stares and unfriendly attitudes that persisted throughout the flight,” Soyou shared. “Though I didn’t raise an official complaint on-site, I didn’t share this story to seek compensation or attention.”
Regarding claims from fellow passengers that she appeared drunk, Soyou responded firmly: “I only had a small amount of alcohol served with my meal at the lounge before boarding. I faced no restrictions or issues when boarding the flight.”
The controversy began when Soyou posted on her social media the previous day, uploading a photo of her Delta Airlines boarding pass and claiming that she had been treated unfairly by flight staff on her return trip to Korea via Atlanta after finishing a schedule in New York.
She wrote, “I was exhausted and simply asked for a Korean flight attendant to confirm the meal schedule, but the purser judged my attitude and treated me like a problematic passenger. They even called security.”
Soyou continued, “I had to say, ‘If I’m the problem, I’ll get off,’ and I endured cold stares for the rest of the 15-hour flight. At that moment, I wondered if it was racial discrimination.”
She added that she was unable to eat during the entire flight and concluded, “No one should ever be doubted or humiliated because of their race.”
This is not the first time Delta Airlines has been accused of discrimination involving Korean celebrities. In 2023, Girl’s Day’s Hyeri criticized the airline after her first-class seat was downgraded to economy without prior notice.
At the time, Hyeri expressed her frustration, saying, “I booked a month and a half in advance and chose my seat, but they downgraded me without explanation. When I asked for a refund, they told me to take the next flight instead.”
Delta later apologized, citing an aircraft change for safety reasons, and said that the fare difference was being refunded.
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