Cho Hyun-ah, daughter of Korean Air’s chairman and former vice president of the South Korean airline, was reportedly sentenced to a year in jail last month after being convicted of assaulting a crew member, among other charges.
The Korean Air “nut rage” incident has yet to come to an end as the Korean Air flight attendant whose complaint let to the conviction of Cho has sued the airline and the former vice president, according to NBC News.
The flight attendant, Kim Do-hee, has reportedly alleged physical and verbal abuse, according to her lawyer. Kim’s civil lawsuit, which was filed in New York, is reportedly seeking compensation for damage to her career, reputation and emotional wellbeing, according to BBC News.
Kim’s lawyers stated that “the evidence in this case will demonstrate that Cho’s actions were not only humiliating, degrading, and damaging to Kim, but were also emblematic of Cho’s unbridled arrogance and disturbing sense of entitlement.”
Kim has also alleged that she was pressured to lie to government investigators to cover up the now infamous “nut rage” incident and to appear in public with Cho “as part of an orchestrated effort to try and rehabilitate Cho’s public image,” according to the Associated Press.
After being served macadamia nuts in a bag, instead of in a porcelain bag, Cho reportedly confronted head steward Park Chang-jin as well. Park was reportedly forced to kneel in front of Cho, who eventually ordered him off the flight.
Judge Oh Sung-woo had reportedly stated that South Korea’s “nut rage” incident was a case where “human dignity” had been “trampled upon,” as Cho had treated the flight “as if it was her own private plane.”
“It is doubtful that the way the nuts were served was so wrong,” stated Judge Oh.
