Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Reporter's notebook Should employees be penalized for boss's wrongdoing?
By Kim Hyun-bin
Should employees be penalized for the wrongdoings of their CEO or executives?
This question is up for debate as the government is seeking to establish stricter punishment for local airlines following numerous abuse of power scandals by owner families in recent years, mostly involving Korean Air.
Cho Hyun-ah, former Korean Air executive vice president
By Kim Hyun-bin
After close coordination with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Rep. An Ho-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea proposed a revision bill to the Aviation Law, Wednesday, that would punish the company for its executives' misbehavior.
Under the revision, a carrier will be banned from operating on a new route for three years when an executive is found guilty of abuse of power or assault.
Initially the ban was for one to two years, but the revision has extended the period.
The move raises questions because the airline's employees will be the hardest hit from the restrictions.
“Restricting new routes for three years pretty much means shutting the airline down and carriers will be forced to let employees go. The executives who cause the problem definitely need to be punished for their actions, but why is the government trying to punish hardworking employees?” an employee from a local carrier said.
Both Korean Air and Jin Air, which are owned by Hanjin Group, have been embroiled in abuse of power scandals in recent years.
In April last year, Cho Hyun-min, Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho's youngest daughter and also the senior vice president of Jin Air at the time, threw water at an ad agency manager. She was later cleared of the charges because the manager did not want her to be punished and refused to testify.
Cho Hyun-min
In December 2014, Cho Hyun-ah, the chairman's oldest daughter and executive vice president of Korean Air at the time, was angered over how macadamia nuts were served to her in a first class cabin.
She assaulted a senior flight attendant and made him get off the plane that was preparing to take off at a New York airport, forcing it to return to the gate.