S. Korea's carrier under fire for chairman daughter's misconduct

Korea Air Lines, South Korea's top flagship carrier, has been under mounting criticism as Chairman Cho Yang Ho's daughter ordered to deplane a crew member in violation of aviation law, local media reported on Wednesday.

Heather Cho, 40, vice president of Korea Air and the eldest daughter of chairman Cho, was on the first-class of the airline's flight from New York to Incheon, west of capital Seoul, on Dec. 5.

When a flight attendant served her nuts in a bag, not on a dish, without asking, Cho summoned the head of in-flight service crew to ask about the airline's policy on serving nuts. The policy requires cabin crew to ask before serving nuts on a dish, not in a bag.

As the purser failed to give a prompt answer to Cho, she ordered the plane back to the gate to expel the head of cabin crew. According to the country's aviation law, only captain is authorized to decide on whether to return to the gate for safety reasons. The flight arrived at Incheon behind schedule, causing inconveniences for passengers.

The incident was reported by YTN and Yonhap News Agency from Monday, stirring harsh criticism for the abuse of authority by Cho, a member of a family running a South Korean conglomerate.

At some Internet blogs and social media, some conducted a boycott campaign against Korean Air, condemning the "overindulged" vice president's sense of privilege.

The airline announced a statement to apologize, but it caused a strong backlash as the statement sought to pass the buck to the purser.