Advertisement

Update | ‘Nut rage’ Korean Air Lines heiress handed jail term by Seoul court

A South Korean court sentenced the daughter of Korean Air Lines’ chairman to one year in prison after finding her guilty over an on-board incident in New York concerning the way she was served nuts in first class.

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
A prison bus carrying the Korean Air heiress arrives at court in Seoul yesterday prior to her sentencing to one year in prison for aviation safety violations. Photo: AFP

The inflight tantrum dubbed "nut rage" culminated yesterday in a one-year prison sentence for Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah, a humiliating rebuke that only partially quelled public outrage at the excesses of South Korea's business elite.

Advertisement

Cho, the daughter of Korean Air's chairman, achieved worldwide notoriety after she ordered the chief flight attendant off a December 5 flight, forcing it to return to the gate at John F Kennedy Airport in New York.

The airline's head of cabin service at the time, Cho was angered she had been offered macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a dish. A heated and physical confrontation with members of the crew in first class ensued.

A Seoul court said Cho, 40, was guilty of forcing a flight to change its route, obstructing the flight's captain in the performance of his duties, forcing a crew member off a plane, and assaulting a crew member. It found her not guilty of interfering with a transport ministry investigation into the incident. Cho pleaded not guilty and prosecutors had called for three years in prison.

Advertisement

Cho, in custody since December 30, wiped away tears with a tissue as a letter expressing her remorse was read to the court by head judge Oh Seong-woo.

It included details about how Cho, one of South Korea's richest women who regularly flew first class, was adjusting to conditions in prison and reflecting on her life. "I know my faults and I'm very sorry," Cho said in her letter.

loading
Advertisement