“It really is Soyou” Singer Soyou shares shocking hip-slapping incident

Soyou, a singer from the group SISTAR, revealed a baffling anecdote where a stranger who recognized her in a public bathhouse suddenly slapped her on the hip. The episode demonstrates how even everyday spaces can be difficult for a star to maintain as a completely private domain.

During a video documenting her experience at a Korean-style sauna (jjimjilbang) released on her YouTube channel 'Soyougi' on the 7th, Soyou shared the experience she had while enjoying the sauna with the production crew. When the crew asked, “Have people ever recognized you when you go to a sauna or a public bathhouse?” Soyou replied, “Many people do.” She then laughed, adding, “I try to cover my body with my hands as much as possible.” This is interpreted as her desire to protect her privacy in spaces where undressing and bathing occur, unlike being under the public eye on stage.

At that moment, her manager brought up a past anecdote. When asked, “Didn't you say before that a grandmother or someone slapped your hip and left?” Soyou recalled the situation, saying, “While I was washing, they recognized me, said, ‘It really is Soyou,’ and then gave my hip a slap before leaving.”

Soyou was reportedly quite flustered by the sudden physical contact. She drew laughter by reenacting her expression at the time and adding, “It hurt.” Even if the intention was to express friendliness, the fact that it involved touching someone's body without consent highlights the boundary of private space and the distance between stars and fans.

This anecdote could be presented with laughter because Soyou treated it as a ridiculous past experience and shared it herself. However, in the daily lives of celebrities, the joy of being 'recognized' sometimes leads to unexpected actions. Especially in places like public bathhouses or saunas where physical exposure and privacy protection are crucial, an attitude of respecting individual boundaries should take precedence over expressions of intimacy.

Soyou debuted in 2010 with SISTAR and established herself as a top-tier girl group member, releasing numerous hits such as “So Cool,” “Alone,” “Give It To Me,” and “Touch My Body.” During her time with SISTAR, she was responsible for the team's musical color with her unique tone and stable vocals. After the group's disbandment, she continued her independent musical activities by releasing her first solo album in 2017.

In particular, Soyou has expanded her territory as a singer by balancing collaborations and solo music even after her group activities. She showed a strong presence in the music release market through various collaboration tracks like “Some” and “Because It Rained,” and recently, she has been sharing her relatively private daily life—including travel, mukbang, and exercise—with the public through her YouTube channel, moving beyond just music.

This sauna video also draws attention as content that shows the natural, everyday side of Soyou rather than her stage persona. However, being a star familiar to the public does not mean that free physical contact or actions in private spaces are permitted.

The “hip slap” anecdote that Soyou shared with a laugh may seem like a simple happening, but it is also a case that makes one think about how far the intimacy between celebrities and the public can be allowed. While it is better to be close on stage, maintaining an appropriate distance in daily life may be the way to respect one another.