Korean Air 'nut rage' sister apologises for angry outburst

Jin Air Co

16/04/2018 03:56

* Cho says did not throw cup of water at face
    * Petitions seek to remove "Korean" from airline name
    * "Why must our employees feel shame?" - unions 

    By Joyce Lee
    SEOUL, April 16 (Reuters) - Korean Air Lines' labour unions
called for the youngest daughter of its chairman, a sister of
the infamous 'nut rage' heiress, to step down from management
after her alleged abusive behaviour against an advertising
agency official caused public outrage.
    Cho Hyun-min, also known as Emily Cho and a senior vice
president at Korean Air  003490.KS , apologised on Thursday for
what she called her "foolish behaviour" after media reports said
she threw water at the face of an advertising agency manager
during a recent business meeting.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1RP3AS 
    Cho, speaking to TV channel MBC after she cut short her
vacation overseas and arrived at Incheon International Airport
on Sunday, denied she had thrown a cup of water at the manager's
face but said she had "pushed" it.
    She said her action was "foolish." 
    Police have launched a preliminary inquiry to see whether
Cho had abused her power or broken any law in connection with
the latest reports.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1RQ1VJ
    Korean Air said on Monday it was aware of the police probe.
"After we observe the outcome of the investigation, the company
plans to take appropriate measures," the airline said in a
statement. 
    It is the latest controversy to engulf the owner family of
South Korea's largest airline group. 
    Cho's elder sister Cho Hyun-ah, or Heather Cho, made
headlines over a notorious "nut rage" incident in 2014, when she
lost her temper over the way she was served macadamina nuts in
first class. 
    Her younger sister's own tantrum has reignited public
impatience with family-run conglomerates known as chaebol, over
what some South Koreans see as unchecked bad behaviour by the
rich and powerful. 
    Korean Air's employee union and two pilots' unions said in a
joint statement on Sunday that Cho Hyun-min's actions harmed the
reputation of Korean Air. They want her to step down and offer a
sincere apology to all employees and the public. 
    "The controversy surrounding management taking advantage of
its power has become the most-searched term and the subject of
unending breaking news, and ... leading to criticism for around
20,000 employees who have devoted blood and sweat working on the
front lines," the unions said. 
    "Why must our employees feel shame? Why must our employees,
who have committed no crime, be the subject of criticism?"
    Also on Sunday, Cho sent a mass email to Korean Air
employees apologizing again for her actions, according to a copy
of the email seen by Reuters.
    "As I was focusing on my passion for the work, I was unable
to control my thoughtless words and deeds, through which I
caused injury and disappointment for a lot of people," Cho said.
    Korean Air confirmed that the email was sent to all Korean
Air employees, but declined to comment further.
    Dozens of petitions demanding that Cho be punished and
"Korean" removed from the airline's name were posted on Monday
on the presidential Blue House's online petition page.
    One petition calling for the change to the company's name
had 44,374 signatures. 
    "Around 20,000 Korean Air employees earnestly desire the
continued use of our company name 'Korean Air,'" the labor
unions said in the statement.
    Shares in Korean Air Lines fell 4 percent in early trade to
a near three-week low, compared to a 0.1 percent fall in the
broader market.  .KS11 

 (Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Dahee Kim, Editing by
Soyoung Kim and Darren Schuettler)
 ((jungyoon.lee@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5609; Reuters
Messaging: jungyoon.lee.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))