Arrest warrant sought for Heather Cho

By Lee Kyung-min

Former Korean Air Vice President Heather Cho

The prosecution on Wednesday requested that an arrest warrant be issued for former Korean Air Vice President Heather Cho over the “nut rage” incident.

She allegedly violated the country’s aviation safety rules by forcing a change in flight schedule and coercing and assaulting flight attendants on a plane, according to the Seoul Western Prosecutors’ Office.

The prosecution also arrested an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, surnamed Kim, who was part of a team that investigated the incident that made headlines around the world. Kim worked at Korean Air for 15 years before moving to the ministry.

Investigators raided Kim’s house in Incheon, and his office in the ministry, and confiscated a computer and documents. He allegedly shared confidential information about the investigation with an executive of Korean Air, surnamed Yeo, who is also facing arrest.

Yeo allegedly ordered the employees to destroy evidence prior to and during the investigation. Yeo also allegedly made threats to the employees by ordering that staff remain silent and not say anything that could hurt the airline company.

The prosecution believes that Kim and Yeo conspired to minimize the damage of the scandal. Kim, the inspector, allegedly gave Yeo detailed information about the probe into the nut rage scandal.

The two allegedly discussed the investigation by making numerous phone calls, prosecutors said.

The Seoul Western District Court will decide on Dec. 30 on whether to issue arrest warrants for Cho and Yeo, prosecutors said.

Cho has been under investigation since she ordered a plane bound for Incheon from New York to return to the gate from a taxiing runway at JFK International Airport on Dec. 5 so that a chief flight attendant ordered off the airplane by Cho could disembark. Cho became angry after a junior attendant served her a packet of macadamia nuts without removing them from the bag and presenting them on a plate.

During questioning by prosecutors last week, Cho flatly denied that she had physically assaulted a member of staff.

However, the prosecution office concluded that she had pushed the flight attendant, based on the testimony of passengers and other flight attendants at the scene.

Meanwhile, a letter of apology on Monday by Emily Cho, or Cho Hyun-min, 31, the younger sister of Heather Cho, further soured public sentiment against the Cho family.

The younger Cho is the youngest executive at Korean Air, and is in charge of advertising, marketing and communications.

In the letter, although she admitted she lacked many things, she wrote that the current situation is everybody’s responsibility.

On referring to her current marketing position, she said, "Everybody knows that I lack many things. And I have nothing to say if somebody asks me whether I'm entitled."

But she added, "I'm doing my best. And there is a reason for my taking charge of marketing."

Then she added, “Not all faults occur because of one person. The current situation is the fault of every employee.”