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Agence France-Presse

A Korean Air heiress known for a “nut rage” tantrum that sparked national uproar was summoned for questioning Thursday for illegally hiring immigrants to work as maids, the latest scandal to engulf her billionaire family.
Cho Hyun-ah kept her head bowed as she reported to immigration authorities in Seoul on Thursday.
“I’m sorry to cause trouble,” she said in a quiet voice before entering the office.
She faces allegations that she illegally hired some 10 Filipinas to work as housemaids in the family home by disguising them as company trainees to obtain visas.
It is against the law in South Korea to hire foreigners as domestic helpers.
A series of scandals have left Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho and his family facing mounting scrutiny over a spate of alleged wrongdoings that have riled the public and even sparked protests by the firm’s employees.

The family first shot to international infamy in 2014 when Cho Hyun-ah forced two Korean Air flight attendants to kneel and beg for forgiveness after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl.
She ordered the Seoul-bound flight back to the gate so one of them could be ejected in an incident quickly dubbed “nut rage” that many South Koreans felt typified the way ultra-wealthy families often behave.
She was sentenced to a year in prison by a lower court. But after serving five months in jail she was freed when the appeal court cleared her of hampering an air route – the most serious charge – as the aircraft was still on the ground.
Her younger sister Cho Hyun-min recently won unflattering headlines with her own tantrum when she allegedly splashed fruit juice over a business associate in a fit of rage.

Prosecutors stopped short of bringing charges against her after the victim reconciled with her.
But the incident set off a flurry of new allegations about the family’s other alleged wrongdoings.
Among the allegations authorities are now investigating include smuggling of furniture and food, tax evasion, hiring of illegals and verbal abuse and assaults against employees.
Korean Air workers launched an online chat room detailing various grievances they had with the family.
On Friday some employees will hold their fourth weekly rally calling for Cho family to take a back seat in the company.
Police also summoned the chairman Cho’s wife Lee Myung-hee for questioning on Monday after more than 10 people claimed they had been physically or verbally assaulted by her.
Lee is also suspected of involvement in the illegal hiring of foreign maids and will be questioned in this case as well, the immigration office said.


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South Korea

Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress questioned over illegal domestic helpers from Philippines

Immigration officials suspect Cho Hyun-ah and her mother unlawfully hired 10 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees

People hold portraits depicting Korean Air Lines' chairman Cho Yang-ho and his daughters Cho Hyun-ah and Cho Hyun-min as they take part in a protest against the abuse of power by them, in central Seoul, South Korea, May 4, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah keeps her head bowed as she arrives at an immigration office in Seoul on May 24, 2018. A Korean Air heiress known for a "nut rage" tantrum that sparked national uproar was summoned for questioning on May 24 for illegally hiring immigrants to work as maids, the latest scandal to engulf her billionaire family. / AFP PHOTO / YONHAP / - / - South Korea OUT / NO ARCHIVES - RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIPTION USE

Cho Hyun-ah, centre, bows before entering a Korea Immigration Service office for questioning in Seoul. Photo: AP

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Photo: JTBC screenshot

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Former Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah. File photo: AP

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Cho Hyun-min, a senior vice-president at Korean Air Lines and a daughter of its chairman Cho Yang-ho, arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea. Photo: Reuters

Former Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah, center, leaves the Seoul High Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 22, 2015. The upper court Friday sentenced Cho to 10 months in prison and then suspended the sentence for two years. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Notorious Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress makes a major comeback … to senior management 

Cho Hyun-ah leaves the Seoul High Court in 2015. File photo: AP

Korean Air flight attendant Park Chang-jin. Photo: Twitter

Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress resurfaces as Olympics VIP while her former target scrubs toilets

Cho Hyun-ah, who was head of cabin service at Korean Air and the eldest child of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, speaks to the media in Seoul on December 12, 2014, over her “nut rage” incident. Photo: AP

In this Sept. 3, 2014 photo, Cho Hyun-ah, Korean Air Lines' head of cabin service and the oldest child of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho, answers reporters' question during a news conference in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea. When South Koreans heard that the Korean Air executive delayed a flight because she was angry at being served macadamia nuts in a bag there was outrage but no surprise. For many it was only the latest example of the high and mighty behavior they’d come to expect from the families who make up Korea’s dynastic business elite and dominate the economy. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

Cho Yang-ho, the chairman of Korean Air Lines Co., arrives to take the stand for his eldest daughter Cho Hyun-ah, former vice president of Korean Air Line Co., at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. Cho Hyun-ah, who delayed a flight and forced a flight attendant off the plane over a bag of nuts, is scheduled to stand on trial on Friday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

epa04525909 Cho Hyun-Ah, the eldest daughter of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-Ho and former vice president of the airline company, appears at the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board in western Seoul, South Korea, 12 December 2014, to be questioned for ordering a crew member to leave a plane over an alleged breach of snack-serving protocol. Media reported on 08 December that Cho Yang Ah ordered a senior flight attendant off the plane while it was already taxiing because she did not order the nuts and they were not served on a plate. EPA/KIM CHUL-SOO

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Asia

East Asia

Immigration officials suspect Cho Hyun-ah and her mother unlawfully hired 10 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees


The Philippines

Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress questioned over illegal domestic helpers from Philippines

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Immigration officials suspect Cho Hyun-ah and her mother unlawfully hired 10 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees

Immigration officials suspect Cho Hyun-ah and her mother unlawfully hired 10 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees