Singer Soyou reiterated that this is "not a post seeking compensation or exposure" amid her claim she experienced racial discrimination on a U.S. flight.
On the afternoon of the 20th, Soyou posted a long message on her social media, saying, "This is to again share my position regarding the incidents that occurred while I was returning to Korea after a schedule in New York."
First, Soyou explained the situation, saying, "Before boarding I had consumed a small amount of alcohol that was served with the meal in the lounge, and I boarded without any restrictions or problems during the boarding process. Also, I always check the meal schedule after boarding to adjust sleep time and my condition. This time as well, after putting away my luggage I asked a flight attendant to confirm the meal time, but I do not have the ability to communicate perfectly in English, so it was difficult to carry on the conversation."
She continued, "Because it was a flight to Korea, I thought there would be flight attendants who could speak Korean, and during the request that my English sentence may have been mistranslated or conveyed incorrectly, the chief flight attendant and security officer came. At that time a flight attendant who could speak Korean also came to help with the conversation, and it was confirmed that I had no problem and I remained on the plane and entered the country as scheduled."
Regarding the situation in which she suspected "racial discrimination," Soyou explained, "It may have arisen from a misunderstanding, but after that there were continued incidents that made me feel humiliated. While moving from my seat to the restroom I encountered a flight attendant conducting cart service, and the attendant asked me to move to one side of the aisle to allow the cart to pass. I moved as requested and waited for the cart to pass, but the chief flight attendant ordered me in a high-handed manner to get out of there immediately. Another flight attendant who heard the loud voice explained on my behalf that I had been there because of that attendant's request, but there was no apology. Also, a staff member traveling with me asked for a Korean menu, but they repeatedly handed us a menu in another foreign language without any explanation, and strange situations continued to occur."
She added, "Even though the flight attendant who communicated with me in Korean and helped repeatedly apologized, I still feel embarrassed and disappointed about all the things that happened after boarding and the cold stares and attitudes that continued throughout the flight," and "I could not clearly raise an objection at the scene at the time, but I did not write this post for compensation or exposure. I wrote on social media with the courage born of a wish that no one else will have to go through the same thing as me, and I hope that facts are not exaggerated."
Earlier, on the 19th, Soyou had posted on her social media, "I finished my schedule in New York and boarded a flight from Atlanta to Korea via a connection. I was so tired that I only asked for a Korean flight attendant to confirm the meal time, but the chief flight attendant judged my attitude and treated me like a problem passenger and suddenly called security," she revealed.
She went on, "I even had to say, 'If I'm the problem, I'll get off,' and afterwards I had to endure cold stares and attitudes throughout the flight. At that moment I wondered, 'Could this be racial discrimination?,'" and "During the more than 15-hour flight I could not eat anything, and that experience left a deep wound born of racial prejudice. I hope no one is suspected or humiliated because of their race," she described the situation at the time.
Soyou's post drew great attention because other stars including Hyeri and DJ Soda had previously exposed experiences of racial discrimination.
However, after Soyou's disclosure, eyewitness accounts spread on online communities and social media claiming she was heavily intoxicated at the time, sparking controversy. One netizen claimed, "It was a night flight so I didn't notice at first, but it was noisy and I looked and it was Soyou. She said herself that she was drunk and requested a Korean flight attendant because she couldn't read the menu. Security did not come," and another netizen said, "Soyou refused the meal because she was tired and drunk, and the flight attendants explained that flying while intoxicated is dangerous. Later she called it racial discrimination, and as a fellow Korean I felt embarrassed."
Below is Soyou's full statement.
This is to again share my position regarding the incidents that occurred while I was returning to Korea after a schedule in New York.
Before boarding I had consumed a small amount of alcohol that was served with the meal in the lounge, and I boarded without any restrictions or problems during the boarding process.
Also, I always check the meal schedule after boarding to adjust sleep time and my condition. This time as well, after putting away my luggage I asked a flight attendant to confirm the meal time, but I do not have the ability to communicate perfectly in English, so it was difficult to carry on the conversation.
Because it was a flight to Korea, I thought there would be flight attendants who could speak Korean, and during the request that my English sentence may have been mistranslated or conveyed incorrectly, the chief flight attendant and security officer came. At that time a flight attendant who could speak Korean also came to help with the conversation, and it was confirmed that I had no problem and I remained on the plane and entered the country as scheduled.
It may have arisen from a misunderstanding, but after that there were continued incidents that made me feel humiliated.
While moving from my seat to the restroom I encountered a flight attendant conducting cart service, and the attendant asked me to move to one side of the aisle to allow the cart to pass. I moved as requested and waited for the cart to pass, but the chief flight attendant ordered me in a high-handed manner to get out of there immediately. Another flight attendant who heard the loud voice explained on my behalf that I had been there because of that attendant's request, but there was no apology.
Also, a staff member traveling with me asked for a Korean menu, but they repeatedly handed us a menu in another foreign language without any explanation, and strange situations continued to occur.
Even though the flight attendant who communicated with me in Korean and helped repeatedly apologized, I still feel embarrassed and disappointed about all the things that happened after boarding and the cold stares and attitudes that continued throughout the flight.
I could not clearly raise an objection at the scene at the time, but I did not write this post for compensation or exposure. I wrote on social media with the courage born of a wish that no one else will have to go through the same thing as me, and I hope that facts are not exaggerated.
Finally, I apologize to the passengers who were inconvenienced by what happened on board because of me.
[Photo] Soyou's social media.
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