Jin Air faces probe for hiring scandal-hit Korean Air heiress as board member
Jin Air Vice President Cho Hyun-min demonstrates the low-cost carrier's cabin crew service inside an airplane in 2012. She is the younger sister of Heather Cho, Korean Air's infamous "nut rage heiress.” / Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The authorities have begun an investigation into Jin Air for illegally appointing the second daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho a board member of the firm. Jin Air is the low-cost unit of Korean Air.
The government is also looking into whether she has involved in the budget carrier's decision-making process while she was serving as an executive of Korean Air
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday it sent an official letter requesting to check whether Cho illegally served as a member of the low-cost carrier's board.
Under related laws, non-Korean citizens are not allowed to be appointed as a board member of the nation's carriers, and Cho is a U.S. citizen. The Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART) says, however, that Cho was a member of Jin Air's board under the name Cho Emily Lee between March 26 2010, and March 28 2016.
DART is a corporate disclosure system under the Financial Supervisory Service.
Jin Air admitted the allegation.
“We do not know the details, but Cho was a board member of the company,” Jin Air said.
“We understand she decided to step down due to a possible controversy in 2016.”
The transport ministry said it will look into whether she was a member of the company's board, and why the company did not report Cho's appointment. The ministry added it may cancel the low-cost carrier's business license if Cho is found to have served Jin Air as a board member.
Cho is currently serving Jin Air as a vice president and also a Korean Air marketing executive.
The ministry said it will also look into whether Cho's positions violate related laws.
“The ministry is not likely to strip Jin Air's license at this point since Cho stepped down from the carrier's board,” said a ministry official. “We will request legal advice over Cho's case.”
Korean Air became center stage once again as Cho allegedly lost her temper and threw a cup of water at an advertising agency official during a meeting last month.
Police launched an investigation into whether Cho abused her power or violated any law during the incident, while forbidding her from leaving the country.
The Cho sisters first entered the nation's media headlines over a notorious “nut rage” incident in 2014 when Cho's older sister, Heather Cho, lost her temper over the way she was served nuts in first class and ordered the Korean Air plane she was on to return to its gate at a New York airport.