S.Korea to punish Korean Air over 'nut rage' - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

A Korean Air plane sits on the tarmac at Gimpo airport in Seoul on December 9, 2014/AFP

World

S.Korea to punish Korean Air over ‘nut rage’

A Korean Air plane sits on the tarmac at Gimpo airport in Seoul on December 9, 2014/AFP

A Korean Air plane sits on the tarmac at Gimpo airport in Seoul on December 9, 2014/AFP

SEOUL, Dec 16- South Korea said on Tuesday it could fine Korean Air up to $2 million after the daughter of its chief executive delayed a flight by throwing a tantrum over some nuts.

Cho Hyun Ah, a former senior executive with the flag carrier, forced the chief cabin crew member off a New York-Seoul flight after she took exception to being served macadamia nuts she had not asked for — and in a bag, not a bowl.

“We will file formal complaints with the prosecution against Cho Hyun Ah today” and ask them to open a criminal investigation, the transportation ministry said in a statement.

Korean Air will also face either a flight ban of up to a month on an unspecified route or a fine of up to $2 million, it added.

A ministry investigation found that 40 year old Cho screamed and hurled abuse at a flight attendant and the chief purser during the incident on December 5, in a case that has sparked a wave of public anger in South Korea.

State prosecutors are also investigating unconfirmed allegations that Cho used violence against cabin manager Park Chang-Jin, including his claims that she pushed him into the cockpit door and jabbed him with a service manual.

Cho has denied reports she also made him and the flight attendant kneel and beg her forgiveness, but another passenger in first class confirmed most of Park’s account and said she forced both to their knees.

She publicly apologised and resigned from all her posts at the family run business conglomerate Hanjin Group, which owns Korean Air, in the face of intense public uproar.

Korean Air chief executive Cho Yang Ho apologized publicly over his daughter’s “foolish act” and suggested he should share some of the blame for not bringing her up correctly.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Advertisement

More on Capital Business