Korean Air faces penalties over 'nut rage' incident

South Korea's transportation ministry is to penalise Korean Air Lines after a tantrum by the chairman's daughter over a bag of macadamia nuts delayed a flight.

The national carrier could face up to 21 days of flight suspensions or a $1.3m fine for violating aviation law, the transport ministry said on Tuesday, after investigating the "nut rage" incident that has sparked public uproar over the behaviour of Cho Hyun-ah, the airline's former vice-president in charge of cabin service.

Ms Cho resigned from the family-run airline and its affiliates amid mounting public criticism, after she ordered an aircraft back to the New York terminal on December 5 as it prepared for take-off.

Unhappy at being served macadamia nuts in a paper bag rather than on a plate, Ms Cho ordered the flight to return to the gate to remove the chief flight attendant. The flight eventually arrived in South Korea 11 minutes late.

The ministry will look into whether the carrier's corporate culture poses safety risks, as Ms Cho overruled the captain of the flight.

She yelled at crew members and used abusive language, but lied about it in the investigation process, in violation of the country's aviation laws, the ministry said. Korean Air will also be punished for pressuring its employees to lie about what happened in the first-class cabin.

A first-class passenger who witnessed the incident told Yonhap News that the flight attendants knelt before Ms Cho while she pushed the shoulder of one and threw an object at the cabin wall.

Park Chang-jin, the chief flight attendant who was kicked off the aircraft, later told KBS TV that Ms Cho swore at him and jabbed his hand with a document folder.

The ministry said it was unable to confirm whether Ms Cho physically assaulted any of crew members, but that it would file a complaint against her with prosecutors, who are separately looking into the case.

The incident has prompted closer public scrutiny of chaebol family members, with South Koreans increasingly objecting to the undue influence they exert over management of group companies in spite of small direct shareholdings.

"I don't think it is just her personal gaffe. It is, rather, a common risk shared by the third-generation of chaebol families, who grew up in an overly protected environment without communicating with the general public," said Kim Sang-jo, economics professor at Hansung university.

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"Many of them have reached top positions through fast promotions without the leadership needed for such posts. It is a big risk for the companies and for the national economy."

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