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Nut rage defendant gets 1 year in jail in South Korea 0:37
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Daughter of Korean Air gets one year prison term in 'nut rage' case. Julie Noce reports.
- Reuters
- 12 Feb 2015
- News/World
Disgraced executive ... Cho Hyun-ah will spend one year behind bars over that embarrassing ‘nut rage’ incident. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon Source: AP
THE daughter of Korean Air’s chairman has been jailed for one year over a notorious “nut rage” incident that triggered an uproar over the behaviour of South Korea’s business dynasties.
The district court in Seoul on Thursday convicted Cho Hyun-Ah of violating aviation safety law by forcing a taxiing New York-Seoul KAL flight to return to its departure gate on December 5.
Cho, who was the airline’s executive vice president at the time, had insisted on expelling the chief purser from the plane after taking exception to being served macadamia nuts in a bag, rather than a bowl.
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The 40-year-old had treated the flight “as if it was her own private plane”, Justice Oh Sung-Woo said, adding that the case had become the object of international ridicule and “damaged the dignity” of the country.
Cho treated employees “like feudal slaves” and failed to show “the slightest respect” for other people, the judge said.
A judge said Cho Hyun-Ah treated employees like “feudal slaves” and disrespected other people. Picture: Kyodo Source: AAP
Cho Hyun-ah was Korean Air's executive vice president responsible for cabin service. Picture: AP Photo/Yonhap Source: AAP
Cho, clad in a pale green jail suit and with her head bowed so that her hair partially obscured her face, occasionally reached up to wipe away tears as the judge read his ruling.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did ... I displayed my anger without control,” she said in a letter of apology read out by the judge.
“I don’t know how I can ever be forgiven,” the letter said, adding that her six weeks in trial custody had allowed her to learn “respect for other people” from her fellow detainees.
Despite Cho’s expressions of repentance, Oh questioned whether she was truly remorseful for her behaviour.
She was also convicted of assault on the cabin crew.
Humiliated ... Cho Hyun-ah’s father, Cho Yang-ho, is the chairman of Korean Air Lines. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon Source: AP
The chief steward, Park Chang-Jin, had testified that Cho had made him kneel and beg for forgiveness while jabbing him with a service manual.
Prosecutors in the trial had asked for a three-year sentence, but Oh said he had taken into account that no lives had been jeopardised in the incident, as well as the fact that Cho had two young children and that her personal and professional reputation had been shattered.
It was not immediately clear if Cho would choose to appeal.
Media sensation ... photographers scramble to get a photo of disgraced Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah outside court. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon Source: AP
Dismissing defence arguments to the contrary, the court ruled that an aircraft should be deemed “in flight” from the moment it begins to move and that Cho was therefore guilty of illegally altering the course of a plane.
She was acquitted of obstruction of justice charges related to allegations that she had pressured KAL staff to lie about the incident.
Another defendant, also a KAL executive, was convicted of forcing the flight crew to give false testimony and was jailed for eight months.
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