A popular K-pop star has denied being intoxicated on a Delta flight after accusing the airline of racial discrimination.

Soyou, who shot to fame as a member of the chart-topping girl group SISTAR, was flying from Atlanta to South Korea when she got into an altercation with staff on board.

The 34-year-old later took to Instagram to blast the airline to her 4million followers, claiming that security had been called on her and that she was treated poorly during the 15-hour flight.

‘I was extremely tired and simply asked for a Korean flight attendant to check the meal time,’ she wrote, according to The Korea Times.

‘But the steward took issue with my attitude and treated me like a problematic passenger.’

The star then questioned if the incident had been racially motivated.

‘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,’ she wrote.

‘No one should ever be doubted or humiliated because of their race.’

After Soyou’s post went viral, another alleged passenger on the flight came forward to offer a different version events, claiming that Soyou had actually been intoxicated and was the one causing issues on the flight.

Soyou then fired back with a lengthy statement of her own and denied allegations that she was drunk.

However, she did admit to having ‘a small amount of alcohol served with a meal’ before boarding the plane.

‘There were no restrictions or issues during the boarding process, and I boarded the plane without any problems,’ she wrote.

Once on board, Soyou said that she had difficulty communicating due to her limited English.

‘As I always do, I checked the in-flight meal schedule after boarding to manage my sleep and condition. After organizing my luggage, I asked a flight attendant about the meal time, but as my English is not fluent enough for perfect communication, I found it difficult to continue the conversation,’ she explained.

‘Since it was a flight bound for Korea, I assumed there would be a Korean-speaking crew member, so I asked for one. During this process, my English sentence seemed to have been misunderstood, and as a result, the purser and a security officer came over,’ she continued.

‘A Korean-speaking flight attendant then arrived and helped translate, confirming that there was no problem at all. I remained on the plane and entered Korea as planned. Although the situation may have started from a misunderstanding, what followed made me feel humiliated.’

Soyou then claimed that she ran into issues on board when she stood up to use the restroom.

‘While I was moving from my seat to the restroom, I encountered a flight attendant conducting cart service. The attendant asked me to step aside so the cart could pass, and I did as requested,’ she shared.

‘However, the purser suddenly ordered me to “get out of here immediately” in a harsh tone. The flight attendant who had asked me to wait explained that I was only standing there because of her request, but no apology was made.’

Soyou also claimed that she was handed a ‘foreign-language menu’ despite requesting one in Korean.

‘Such uncomfortable moments kept occurring throughout the flight,’ she said.

‘Although the Korean-speaking crew member who had helped me repeatedly apologized, I still feel bewildered and disappointed by the cold stares and attitudes that continued for the entire flight,’ she continued.

‘I did not raise objections on the spot, but I did not write my post to seek compensation or to expose anyone. I shared my experience on social media because I sincerely hope that no one else will ever have to go through something like this again, and I also wish that no false information will be exaggerated or spread.’

She finished by apologizing to the other passengers on board.

‘Lastly, I would like to apologize to any passengers who may have been inconvenienced by what happened on board,’ she wrote.

Daily Mail has contacted Delta Airlines for comment.

Soyou stormed the K-pop industry when she debuted in the South Korean girl group SISTAR in 2010.

The quartet quickly became one of the biggest names in K-pop, racking up an astonishing nine consecutive No. 1 singles on the official Korean charts before disbanding in 2017.

Soyou launched a successful solo career outside of the group, racking up a string of hit songs that included two No. 1s.

Last year, she launched her own ready-to-drink canned whiskey brand, which went on to win the major prize at the 2025 Korea Liquor Awards.