Korean Air Heiress Faces Three Years in Jail for Nut Rage Incident

A Korean prosecutor is seeking a sentence of three years for the daughter of the chairman of Korean Air over an outburst where she demanded a plane return to the gate despite it already having begun to taxi for takeoff.

The Korea Herald reports that Cho Hyun-ah faces a total of three years in prison for various charges, the most severe of which is a law that makes it illegal for passengers to force pilots or crew members to change a flight's path. Cho is also charged with obstructing the flight crew's official duties.

Reuters notes that Cho also faces charges stemming from the fact she tried to lie about the incident and conspired with other Korean Air executives to cast the event in a light more favorable to herself.

Cho is the daughter of the chairman of Korean Air, Cho Yang-ho.

The trouble dates back to Dec. 5 when Cho exploded at a crew member for violating the protocol for the serving of nuts. She demanded the flight return to the gate it had recently departed so that the crew member could disembark.

The Herald reports that the flight attendant crew chief testified in court that Cho had beaten him and another, female attendant. He also said that neither Cho nor her father had apologized to him despite the passage of roughly two months since the original incident.

Cho tried to explain her actions by saying that she was not aware the plane was taxiing, a dubious claim given the fact that flight attendants do not tell the pilot to begin to taxi until all pre-take off protocols have been completed. The attendants must also perform a safety demonstration for all of the passengers in case of an emergency.