Soyou of Sistar Addresses In-Flight Racial Discrimination Controversy
Soyou, a singer and former member of the group Sistar, has posted an additional statement regarding the controversy surrounding alleged in-flight racial discrimination. On October 20th, Soyou stated on her SNS, "I am issuing another statement," strongly denying allegations of being intoxicated on board and explaining the situation in detail. Soyou explained, "I simply requested a Korean-speaking flight attendant on a flight to Korea, but a misunderstanding arose."
Soyou's Initial Revelation: "I Experienced Racial Discrimination"
On October 19th, Soyou posted a shocking message on her SNS:
"I boarded a flight to Korea and experienced racial discrimination due to racial prejudice."
She revealed the events she experienced on a flight back to Korea after finishing her schedule in New York. Soyou stated that she requested a Korean-speaking flight attendant, which led to the appearance of the purser and security personnel.
"She Was Intoxicated": Passenger Claims Emerge
Following Soyou's revelation, a heated debate arose online. In particular, a comment from a netizen claiming to have been on the same flight as Soyou fueled the controversy.
This netizen claimed:
"Soyou was intoxicated at the time. She said she was tired and wouldn't eat (the meal)."
"I also heard the staff saying that you shouldn't board a plane while intoxicated. You shouldn't say 'I'm wronged' or 'It's racial discrimination' in this way."
This comment raised suspicions that Soyou's revelation was exaggerated. However, the netizen has since deleted the comment.
Soyou's Rebuttal: "I Only Had a Small Amount of Alcohol in the Lounge"
On October 20th, Soyou strongly denied the intoxication allegations via her SNS.
"I only had a small amount of alcohol provided with the meal in the lounge before boarding, and I completed the boarding process without any restrictions or problems."
She stated that she only had a small amount of wine or beer provided with the meal in the lounge and was not intoxicated. The fact that there were no restrictions or problems during the boarding process supports this.
If she had been truly intoxicated, boarding would have been denied according to airline regulations. However, Soyou completed boarding without any issues.
"I Was Just Trying to Confirm Meal Times"
Soyou also clarified why she requested a Korean-speaking flight attendant.
"I always check the meal schedule after boarding to adjust my sleep schedule and condition. This time, I asked the flight attendant to check the meal time after finishing organizing my luggage, but I am not fluent enough in English to communicate perfectly, so it was difficult to have a conversation."
Checking meal times in advance on a long flight is a reasonable action to adjust one's sleep schedule. Soyou explained that she only requested a Korean-speaking flight attendant because she had difficulty communicating perfectly in English.
"Since it was a flight to Korea, I thought there would be a Korean-speaking flight attendant, and when the purser came, a Korean-speaking flight attendant also came to help with the conversation."
Requesting a Korean-speaking flight attendant on a flight to Korea is a perfectly natural thing to do. However, a misunderstanding arose in the process, leading to the appearance of the purser and security personnel.
Additional Anecdotes Revealed: "Ordered to 'Get Out Immediately' While Going to the Restroom"
In this statement, Soyou revealed additional anecdotes that she had not disclosed the previous day.
"It may have been a misunderstanding, but I continued to experience things that made me feel humiliated."
The first anecdote occurred while she was moving to the restroom.
"While moving to the restroom, I encountered a flight attendant with a cart service and stood aside in the aisle, but the purser ordered me to 'Get out immediately' in an overbearing manner."
Soyou said that she had only stepped aside in the aisle at the request of the flight attendant pushing the cart, but the purser ordered her to "Get out immediately" in an overbearing manner.
The flight attendant pushing the cart explained that Soyou was there at their request, but the purser did not apologize.
Requested a Korean Menu, Received Another Foreign Language Menu
The second anecdote concerns the menu.
"A staff member traveling with me asked for a Korean menu, but they gave another menu without explanation."
She claims that when a Korean menu was requested on a flight to Korea, another foreign language menu was given without explanation.
It is perfectly natural for a Korean passenger to request a Korean menu on a flight to Korea. However, Soyou claims that even this was not properly provided.
"Strange situations continued to unfold."
Soyou expressed that these series of events felt like intentional discrimination rather than a simple misunderstanding.
"The Korean-Speaking Flight Attendant Repeatedly Apologized..."
Soyou stated that the attitude of the Korean-speaking flight attendant was different.
"The flight attendant who communicated and helped me in Korean repeatedly apologized. Nevertheless, I still feel disappointed about everything that happened after boarding and the cold stares and attitudes that continued throughout the flight."
The Korean-speaking flight attendant continued to apologize, but the cold stares and attitudes of the other flight attendants and the purser continued throughout the flight.
"Not for Compensation or Exposure"
Soyou emphasized that her post was not to demand compensation or expose the airline.
"This is not a post written for compensation or exposure. I apologize to the passengers who were inconvenienced by me, and I hope that untrue information will not be exaggerated."
Soyou explained that she mustered the courage to write this in the hope that no one else would experience the same thing again.
She also apologized to the other passengers who may have been disturbed by the commotion on board.
Comment Claiming Intoxication Deleted
The comment from the passenger claiming that Soyou was intoxicated has now been deleted.
The reason for deleting the comment is unclear. It may be an acknowledgment that their claim was untrue, or it may be due to feeling burdened by the growing controversy.
However, the comment has already been captured and spread online, and Soyou has directly refuted it, denying the intoxication allegations.
What is the Truth?
To summarize the current situation:
Soyou's claims:
- Only had a small amount of alcohol with the meal in the lounge
- No problems during boarding
- Requested a Korean-speaking flight attendant to check meal times
- Misunderstanding arose due to difficulty communicating in English
- Later, ordered to "Get out immediately" while going to the restroom
- Received another foreign language menu after requesting a Korean menu
- Cold stares and attitudes throughout the flight
Passenger's (?) claims:
- Was intoxicated
- Refused to eat, saying she was tired
- Heard staff saying that you shouldn't board while intoxicated
- (Comment deleted)
Whose words are true? It is difficult to judge in the absence of clear evidence.
What is the Airline's Position?
As of now, the airline has not released an official statement. It remains to be seen what position the airline will take and whether an investigation into the situation will be conducted.
If Soyou's claims are true, it is a clear case of inappropriate behavior and racial discrimination by the flight attendants. Conversely, if Soyou was actually intoxicated or there were other problems, the flight attendants' response may have been justified.
The Weight of In-Flight Racial Discrimination Controversy
The issue of racial discrimination raised by Soyou is not a light matter. If a Korean person was discriminated against on a flight to Korea for requesting a Korean-speaking flight attendant and because their English communication was not perfect, it is a serious problem.
Global airlines welcome passengers of various nationalities. Language communication difficulties are natural, and passengers should not be discriminated against or treated with insulting attitudes for this reason.
Soyou's Courage
Soyou said, "It's not for compensation or exposure," but it must have taken great courage to write this post.
When a celebrity writes such a post, it is easy to receive criticism such as "They are trying to get attention," "They are exaggerating," or "It's not true." In fact, Soyou suffered secondary harm when intoxication allegations were raised.
Nevertheless, Soyou said she wrote this post because "I hope that no one else will experience the same thing again."
Hoping the Truth Will Be Revealed
Whether Soyou's claims are true, or whether they are misunderstandings or exaggerations, will be revealed in the future. An airline investigation, additional testimonies, and objective evidence are needed.
The important thing is not to judge hastily. Rather than blindly believing or blindly doubting Soyou, we must wait for the facts to be clearly revealed.
If Soyou's claims are true, the airline must apologize and prepare measures to prevent recurrence. Conversely, if Soyou's claims were exaggerated or misunderstood, Soyou must also take responsibility for them.
We await the revelation of the truth.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/roadtowrestling
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