Korean Air Executive Jailed Over 'Nut Rage'

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By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

A court in South Korea has sentenced the daughter of the boss of Korean Air to a year in prison after she threw a tantrum over a packet of airline nuts.

Heather Cho was the Executive Vice President of Korean Air until she was forced to resign in December following an incident on a Korean Air flight from New York to Seoul.

Cho had ordered the plane to return to its gate so the Chief Steward could be removed after she had been offered her first-class snack in a plastic packet rather than in a dish.

The 40 -year-old has been convicted of obstructing aviation safety after making an unauthorised demand for the plane to return to the gate. She was cleared of charges relating to allegations that she had tried to bribe the victims in the case.

One of the three judges said that the incident would never have occurred if Cho had shown consideration for other human beings, had not treated them as slaves, and had been conscious of public perception.

The incident happened in a three-minute period as the plane was backing away from the gate in preparation for take-off. CCTV footage from the gate at JFK airport, played in court, shows the Korean Air plane pulling back from the stand.

After backing up for 25 seconds, the plane stops and remains stationary for three minutes before moving back up to the gate.

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Inside the first class cabin, Heather Cho had been offered her nuts by stewardess Kim Do-hee. Angry that they had been presented to her in their packet, Cho remonstrated with the stewardess.

The chief steward of the flight, Park Chang-Jin, attempted to resolves the situation but he too was given a dressing down by Cho.

Mr Park told the court: "[Cho] was like a beast that found its prey, gritting its teeth as she became abusive, not listening to what I had to say at all".

"I don't think Cho showed an ounce of conscience, treating powerless people like myself like feudal slaves, forcing us to sacrifice and treating it as if it was the natural thing to do," the chief steward told the court in evidence.

As the plane sat on the tarmac metres from the gate, Cho ordered that Mr Park bring her a tablet computer containing the airlines protocol so that she could prove to him that he had violated airline procedure in the distribution of nuts to first class passengers.

The computer was produced but Mr Park was unable to remember the password. It is alleged that Ms Cho then began to hit Mr Park and ordered that he be removed from the flight. The Captain returned the plane to the gate and Mr Park was removed.

The incident has sparked a wider debate within South Korea about abuse of power and nepotism within the country's so-called 'Chaebols' – family-owned conglomerates who dominate South Korean business. Cho's father, Cho Yang-ho, the airline's chairman was convicted of tax evasion in 2000 and given a suspended sentence before being issued with a presidential pardon.

There have been numerous other cases involving 'Chaebols' which together have prompted suggestions that they act above the law and lack proper checks and balances.

In 2008, Samsung's Chairman, Lee Kun-hee was given a three year suspended sentence for financial wrongdoing. He too was given a presidential pardon.

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