by STEVE HAN | @steve_han
editor@charactermedia.com
The embattled former vice president of Korean Air is facing indictment over a bizarre incident, in which she forced a taxiing plane to return to the gate, according to prosecutors in South Korea.
Cho Hyun-ah, also identified as Heather Cho, is the eldest daughter of South Korea’s No. 1 airline. However, she recently resigned from her post as the company’s vice president for cabin service after a national outrage over her murky conduct.
During an Incheon-bound flight in New York on Dec. 5, Cho had ordered the chief flight attendant to disembark the aircraft as she became furious over how she was served macadamia nuts– in an unopened bag and not on a plate. After Cho strangely threw a tantrum, the flight carrying more than 250 passengers returned to the gate as instructed and deplaned the chief attendant, arriving in Incheon International Airport 11 minutes behind schedule.
A local court in South Korea has been detaining Cho since Dec. 30 on charges that she abused her power and that the Korean Air has made organized efforts to cover up the incident.
Prosecutors at Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office will press additional charges, including violation of aviation safety regulations, assault on a plane as well as coercion and interference in the execution of duty.
The charges against Cho will be brought on Tuesday at the latest, said the prosecutors.
___
Featured photo courtesy of CNN
