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Korean Air Lines Co. chief Cho Yang-ho formally apologized Friday for the actions of his eldest daughter who triggered an uproar by ordering a crew member to leave a plane over an alleged breach of snack-serving protocol.
Speaking at the carrier's main headquarters in western Seoul, the 65-year-old businessman asked for the public's forgiveness for the "foolish" actions of his daughter."I am making my apology as a father and head of Korean Air," he said.
He said his daughter will be removed from all her official posts, not only within Korean Air but other companies in the Hanjin Group, which he heads as chairman.
"This will be implemented regardless of ongoing investigations by the transportation ministry and state prosecutors," Cho said.
Hanjin is one of the top 10 family-run business conglomerates in South Korea, founded in 1945 by Cho Choong-hoon, the incumbent chairman's father.
Before the uproar, dubbed "nut rage" in South Korea, Cho Hyun-ah, also known by her English name Heather, was vice president of the airline's flight service and hotel operations. She was CEO of KAL Hotel Network, Wangsan Leisure Development Co. and Hanjin Travel Service Co., all affiliates of Hanjin Group. She is currently a director of the board of Korean Air.
Cho Hyun-ah has been summoned by government investigators to determine if she caused a commotion or threatened the crew.
Authorities said if she did cause trouble, such actions could be in violation of the country's aviation law and rules governing aircraft security.
The former vice president had ordered the chief purser of a Korean Air Airbus A380 jet, with some 250 passengers onboard, to leave the plane after a spat over how nuts were served. The flight was on its way to Seoul from New York last Friday.
The daughter reportedly was angered when a flight attendant served her an unopened package of macadamia nuts instead of the snack on a plate. She then took issue with the purser over his lack of knowledge of the service manual.
Officials at South Korea's transportation ministry said the return to the gate delayed departure from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport by some 20 minutes, with the plane arriving 11 minutes behind schedule at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)
