Korean Air Lines faces sanctions over 'nut rage' incident by Cho Hyun-ah
South Korea to punish firm for pressuring staff to lie about an outburst by chairman's daughter
South Korea's transport ministry said Korean Air Lines will face sanctions for pressuring employees to lie during a government probe into the "nut rage" fiasco that highlighted the tyrannical behaviour of a top Korean business family.
The ministry said yesterday it would also evaluate if the airline's corporate culture poses safety risks after its chairman's daughter Cho Hyun-ah overruled the captain of a flight on which she was a passenger to force the plane back to the gate.
Cho, who was head of cabin service at Korean Air, ordered a senior flight attendant off a December 5 flight after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag, instead of on a plate, in what she thought was a breach of service protocol in first class.
Transport ministry director Lee Gwang-hee said Korean Air could face 21 days of flight suspensions or a US$1.3 million fine for violating aviation law. The punishment will be determined by a separate committee that could increase or lessen it.
Cho family members have a direct 10 per cent stake in Korean Air, which is part of the family's Hanjin conglomerate.
Park Chang-jin, the crew member who had to disembark from the plane, told South Korea's KBS television network on Friday that Cho had shamed and insulted crew members. A first-class passenger told Yonhap News Agency that Cho yelled at flight attendants who kneeled before her, pushed one flight attendant's shoulder and threw an object at the cabin wall.
The incident dubbed "nut rage" hogged headlines around the world and in turn enraged the South Korean public, leading to Cho's removal from all executive roles at the airline.