Hanjin Group Cho Yang-ho’s three children ― Hyun-ah, Won-tae and Hyun-min ― were all promoted in the company’s recent personnel reshuffle.

The eldest, Hyun-ah, 39, was promoted to vice president of Korean Air, along with her younger brother Won-tae, 38. They were given the promotions just three years after they were made executive vice presidents in 2009.

Cho Hyun-min, born in 1983, was made a managing vice president of the company. She had been a rank immediately below just two years earlier.

Korean Air is the flagship company of Hanjin, along with Hanjin Shipping.

The promotions had been expected at Hanjin, which was looking to turn its sagging business around. As the eighth-biggest industrial group in Korea, Hanjin is hardly a goner, but its two flagship firms have suffered from the anemic global economic conditions that have put a damper on the airliner and shipping industries all over the world. Operating profit has been declining at both firms.

Despite the anticipation for the three Cho siblings to help Hanjin turn over a new leaf, there was also criticism that once again, the chaebol were alienating the rest of the public, which has expressed its hope for president-elect Park Geun-hye to keep the conglomerates in check.

“We see so many of these chaebol offspring given unprecedented promotions, and we have yet to see any performance from them,” said one industry watcher.

The only son, Won-tae, of the Hanjin family, had been in charge of overlooking the group’s long wish to acquire Korea Aerospace Industries, the only Korean aircraft maker. The project, however, fell through, when Korean Air pulled out of the bidding.

Critics also were ruffled at the fact that the three siblings will form the majority of the executive rank at the company: there will now be five vice presidents at Korean Air, which is less than 0.1 percent of the 20,000 plus staff at the nation’s top airliner.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)