Korean Air offered flight attendant professor job

By Kim Se-jeong

Cho Yang-ho

Korean Air offered a flight attendant a position as a college professor in return for giving favorable testimony for Heather Cho in her trial over the “nut rage” scandal, the flight attendant testified in court Friday.

The flight attendant, surnamed Kim, rejected the offer, she said.

The firm’s Chairman Cho Yang-ho also took the witness stand for his daughter’s trial; Heather Cho was the airline’s former executive vice president. The chairman promised to take measures so that flight attendants involved in the case could continue to work at the airline.

Cho did not make eye contact with his daughter during the entire hearing, held at Seoul Western District Court, observers said.

Kim testified that a Korean Air employee visited her home in mid-December when the scandal was raging, and told her mom that she would be given a job as a professor at a college affiliated with the firm if she “collaborated.”

“The employee asked me to be silent over Heather Cho’s misconduct,” she said.

Heather Cho was indicted on Jan. 17 on charges of obstructing aviation safety.

She ordered a plane bound for Seoul to return to the gate at JFK International Airport in New York on Dec. 5 and drop off chief flight attendant Park Chang-jin after she got upset with how macadamia nuts were served to her. Cho resigned from all her positions after the incident.

Chairman Cho said during the hearing, “I can guarantee that Park and Kim can continue to work at Korea Air without any problems.”

Speculation was high that the company would either fire Park or move him to a different department in retaliation for appearing on TV in interviews criticizing Heather Cho.

The flight had more than 250 passengers onboard, and arrived in Incheon 11 minutes behind schedule.

Also, she allegedly physically assaulted both the junior flight attendant and chief flight attendant by prodding them on their shoulders with a paper file.

When asked if Cho hit her on the shoulder and pushed her to the door, flight attendant Kim said, “Yes.” She also said Cho was so outraged that she threw a paper file at her chest. Heather Cho initially denied the allegations.

She allegedly ordered employees to destroy evidence and asked executive managers to intervene in investigations to cover up the incident.

During the hearing, Heather Cho offered an apology to Kim for her behavior.