Former Korean Air VP to be indicted over 'nut rage'

[webfact]

Former Korean Air VP to be indicted over 'nut rage'
By Digital Content

SEOUL, Jan 6 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors said Tuesday that they plan to indict a former vice president of South Korea's top airline, Korea Air Lines Co., later this week over a controversial air-rage incident.

Cho Hyun-ah, the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, resigned as a vice president for cabin service four days after a national uproar over her conduct aboard a Seoul-bound Korean Air flight from New York on Dec. 5.

The plane had already been taxiing when she ordered the chief flight attendant to deplane over the way she was served macadamia nuts -- in an unopened pack instead of on a plate. She was angry because she believed the crew did not follow the proper procedure for serving nuts to first-class passengers.

The flight was subsequently returned to the gate to deplane the purser, causing an 11-minute delay in its arrival at Seoul's main gateway, Incheon International Airport. More than 250 passengers were on board.

Prosecutors at Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office probing the case said they plan to bring charges against Cho on Tuesday at the earliest.

The charges against Cho will include violations of aviation safety regulations -- changing flight plans and assault on a plane -- and coercion and interference in the execution of duty, according to the prosecutors.

Cho had already been detained since Dec. 30 after a local court issued a warrant, citing "the gravity of the issue as well as the organized efforts to cover up her involvement from the initial stage."

The prosecution office said it also plans to indict a Korean Air executive, identified only by his surname Yeo, on charges of ordering employees to delete an initial report of the incident.

A transportation ministry official, surnamed Kim who leaked details of a government investigation into the case to Yeo, will also be indicted, they said.

Prosecutors said they will also continue looking into suspicions that government officials got free upgrades from Korean Air.

Allegations recently surfaced that several ranking transportation ministry officials were bumped up to business class regularly for free. (Yonhap)


-- TNA 2015-01-06

[BeforeTigers]

Wow.
Can you imagine this kind of follow up in Thailand?

[Jay Sata]

Thailand could do with a bit of action like this against the high society brats who get away with killing innocent people and yet never go to prison.

In the case of this woman it may be a turning point in south Korean attitudes to the spoilt elite.

[Bung]

Look at what they did to the captain and crew of that ferry that sank, the don't muck around there! Thailand, please take note. It is ok to prosecute even rich and powerful people who mock the rules.

[Briggsy]

Korea sits both geographically and culturally between the mainland China and Japan.

You can find the corrupt, untouchable, megalomaniacal chaebol families (as you would in China) and the hand-wringing, head-bowing, shame-laden apologies sometimes with accompanied suicide when their wrongdoing is exposed (as you would in Japan).

No chance of the latter here.

[ezzra]

I hope they will send her to a place where they only serve Macadamia nuts in a bag,

not on a plate.. man, is she going to suffer there....

[Emster23]

So who gets to defend this "nut case"?

[Mosha]

She should be made to attend the trial on her knees. Just like she did to the crew member.

[outsider]

Good to see some hi-so-elite brats being hauled up for breaking the law. Thailand can learn from this. One hopes.

[neverdie]

She should be made to attend the trial on her knees. Just like she did to the crew member.

What a vile nasty individual.

Sounds like it has been costly for her.

Som Nom Na.

[IAMHERE]

I hope they will send her to a place where they only serve Macadamia nuts in a bag,

not on a plate.. man, is she going to suffer there....

I say they should make her crack and peel those nuts herself, or at least make her supervise.

The Korean culture had in the past crashed so many planes that all the pilots had to be retrained. Perhaps they can retrain this nut case.

[LALes]

Have you ever seen a Macadamia nut in its shell? Its almost impossible to extract it from the hard wood.

They need special machines to do it. They are never served in the shell.

On second thought, maybe they should make her do that.

It would take all day to get one out.

[Ulic]

This reaction is as bad as that of the VP freaking out about how she was served macadamia nuts.

She resigned, enough, move on story over. It is not a capital crime or Watergate.

[mike324]

funny how when the news first broke on TV, people where commending this VP of the correct way to train staff and Thais should follow her example....

[Steely Dan]

This reaction is as bad as that of the VP freaking out about how she was served macadamia nuts.

She resigned, enough, move on story over. It is not a capital crime or Watergate.

Indeed, let the punishment be exactly the same as anyone else would have received for the same behavior with no extra to compensate Thai Visa members for their moral indignation.

[Jonmarleesco]

Since it is the captain who is (supposedly) in charge of the plane, he should surely have refused to abort its taxiing for take-off.

[Mosha]

This reaction is as bad as that of the VP freaking out about how she was served macadamia nuts.

She resigned, enough, move on story over. It is not a capital crime or Watergate.

Indeed, let the punishment be exactly the same as anyone else would have received for the same behavior with no extra to compensate Thai Visa members for their moral indignation.

She is also charged with endangering the safety of the aircraft or flight I believe. If the purser was not replaced then they were short staffed. The charges are not to be sniffed at. Abuse of power is the least of her worries.

[how241]

Wow.

Can you imagine this kind of follow up in Thailand?

No, it would not turn out the same here.

[Jay Sata]

Her biggest punishment so far has been loss of face.

Trust me these people cannot cope with that.

The exile and loss of face to Thaksin has been far more than if he had been man enough to serve out his one year term in a cushy prison.

He must miss the bowing and scraping a lot.