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| Lee Myung-hee, wife of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, speaks to reporters in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
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| / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Oh Young-jin
Lee Myung-hee, wife of Cho Yang-ho, head of the Hanjin Group that includes Korean Air, was calm and repeated " I am sorry" to reporters' questions about allegations of "gapjil" -- that she had cursed at and used violence against employees.
The scene of Lee standing in a photo line and repeating herself at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Monday morning resembled her two daughters' appearances, highlighted by repeated one-sentence apologies and what was generally regarded as a fake show of repentance.
Police questioned Lee, 68, about the allegations.
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| / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Lee once deviated from her line, denying that she had tried to bribe the alleged victims. Her lawyers must have coached her to say an empathetic no to an alleged crime that carries a heavy sentence.
A group of people staged a rally to condemn her. The carrier's employees had protested previously, calling for the Cho family to be ousted from the group.
At the center of her case is video footage showing Lee forcefully throwing a large piece of cardboard toward construction workers who were remodeling her home in Seoul in 2013.
The workers said Lee forced them to kneel, slapped them in the face and kicked them in the shins.
Police say a similar offence happened in 2014 when Lee slapped and yelled at construction workers at a hotel in Incheon and threw construction blueprints for remodeling on the floor, which could constitute obstruction of business.
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| / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
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| / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
