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Criticism has continued nonstop for Korean Air Lines, South Korea's top flagship carrier, even after its vice president, who is under fire for halting flight in violation of aviation law, resigned from her post.
Cho Hyun-ah, 40, vice president of the air carrier and the eldest daughter of Chairman Cho Yang-ho, ordered a flight to return to the gate to expel the head of in-flight service crew.
She was on a first-class seat of the airline's flight from New York to Incheon, west of capital Seoul, on Dec. 5 when a flight attendant served her macadamia nuts in a package, not on a dish, without asking her first.
Cho summoned the purser to ask about the airline's policy on serving nuts, but the cabin crew chief failed to give a prompt answer to Cho.
She ordered the plane to return to the gate to remove the purser off the plane, though the flight was pushed back from the gate.
According to the country's aviation law, it is the captain who may decide on whether to return to gate for safety reasons or in emergency situations.
The episode stirred an outburst of rage among the public, causing a boycott of the Korean Air on the Internet.
Netizens taunted the airline by calling it Peanut Airlines, and sales of macadamia nuts surged after the case was known to the public Monday.
"It is a representative case of abuse of authority by a member of a chaebol family running largest conglomerates," Choi Jae Hyuk, a coordinator at the civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, told Xinhua via telephone Thursday.
"It wasn't supposed to happen if she has no supreme status as a member of a chaebol family."
In South Korea, conglomerates are controlled by a handful of family members who act like a dynast in their corporate empires. Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho also placed her three daughters, including Cho Hyun-ah, in executive posts.
The civic group brought criminal charges against Cho, who it said violated various laws, including the country's aviation safety law that prevents passengers from causing disturbances on safety concerns.
Local media reported that Cho used violent language and yelled at the crew before she ordered the return.
Prosecutors on Thursday raided the Korean Air headquarters to seize documents related to the case as well as the plane's operation record. The Transportation Ministry, which is investigating the case, summoned Cho to the ministry Friday, but she reportedly refused it citing difficulties in her immediate appearance.
Amid mounting criticism, the airline announced a statement to apologize for inconveniences for passengers, but it caused a strong backlash as it sought to pass the back to the flight attendant, which it said failed to follow the rule on serving nuts.
Cho stepped down from the head of in-flight services Tuesday, but it fueled a public anger as she maintained her vice-president position. Cho resigned as vice president Wednesday.
Despite her resignation, the public fury persisted. A video clip titled Peanut Airlines was posted Wednesday on YouTube, ridiculing the carrier. Sales of macadamia nuts, which the flight attendant served Cho, soared on online shopping malls, more than doubling this week at the G-Market and the Auction compared with last week. Enditem
