South Korea Rocked By Second Rage Scandal Involving One of Korean Airline Chief Cho Yang-ho's Daughters

The chairman of Korean Air, Cho Yang-ho, is dealing with another case of air rage in his family after his daughter apologized for a high profile outburst against an airline manager.

Cho Hyun-min, who herself is a senior vice-president at the airline, was enraged during a meeting, Korea's Kookmin Ilbo newspaper reported.

Police have launched an investigation into whether Cho had abused her power or broken any law, an official at Seoul Gangseo Police Station told Reuters.

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The logo of Korean Airlines is seen on a B787-9 plane at its aviation shed in Incheon, South Korea, February 27, 2017. Cho Hyun-min, daughter of the airline's boss, reportedly threw a bottle of water... REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

An airline spokesperson told Reuters that Cho threw a water bottle on the floor, dismissing claims on Korean social media that she threw the bottle in a manager's face. "During the meeting, she thought the manager's answer was not sufficient, so she threw a water bottle on the floor, not at the manager's face," he said.

Cho apologized in a Facebook post in which she said that she was "foolish and careless" and that it was "my fault that I was not able to manage my feelings."

Her older sister, Cho Hyun-ah (Heather Cho), made headlines in 2014 when she lost her temper over the way she was served nuts on the Korean Air plane which she ordered to return to its gate in New York.

She was convicted of breaking aviation law and was jailed for a year although her sentence was reduced to a suspended term and she returned to the airline in a management role.

Father Cho Yang-ho has not commented on the latest incident which has highlighted concerns in the country over the behavior of family-firms, known as 'chaebol.'

Thousands of people have posted comments on a presidential office website demanding changes at the airline and criticizing the daughters' behavior, which they said reflected badly on South Korea.

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Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more

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