The daughter of Korean Air's chairman was jailed for one year Thursday over a notorious "nut rage" incident that triggered an uproar over the behaviour of South Korea's business dynasties.
The district court in Seoul convicted Cho Hyun-Ah of violating aviation safety law by forcing a taxiing New York-Seoul KAL flight to return to its departure gate on December 5.
Cho, who was the airline's executive vice president at the time, had insisted on expelling the chief purser from the plane after taking exception to being served macadamia nuts in a bag, rather than a bowl.
The 40-year-old had treated the flight "as if it was her own private plane", Justice Oh Sung-Woo said, adding that the case had become the object of international ridicule and "damaged the dignity" of the country.
Cho treated employees "like feudal slaves" and failed to show "the slightest respect" for other people, the judge said.
Cho, clad in a pale green jail suit and with her head bowed so that her hair partially obscured her face, occasionally reached up to wipe away tears as the judge read his ruling.
'Deeply sorry'
"I am deeply sorry for what I did... I displayed my anger without control," she said in a letter of apology read out by the judge.
"I don't know how I can ever be forgiven," the letter said, adding that her six weeks in trial custody had allowed her to learn "respect for other people" from her fellow detainees.
Despite Cho's expressions of repentance, Oh questioned whether she was truly remorseful for her behaviour.
She was also convicted of assault on the cabin crew.
The chief steward, Park Chang-Jin, had testified that Cho had made him kneel and beg for forgiveness while jabbing him with a service manual.
Prosecutors in the trial had asked for a three-year sentence, but Oh said he had taken into account that no lives had been jeopardised in the incident, as well as the fact that Cho had two young children and that her personal and professional reputation had been shattered.
It was not immediately clear if Cho would choose to appeal.
Dismissing defence arguments to the contrary, the court ruled that an aircraft should be deemed "in flight" from the moment it begins to move and that Cho was therefore guilty of illegally altering the course of a plane.
She was acquitted of obstruction of justice charges related to allegations that she had pressured KAL staff to lie about the incident.
Another defendant, also a KAL executive, was convicted of forcing the flight crew to give false testimony and was jailed for eight months.
Spoilt and arrogant
The case triggered a huge public backlash.
Cho was seen as emblematic of a generation of spoilt and arrogant offspring of owners of the giant family-run conglomerates, or "chaebols", that dominate the South Korean economy.
Like Cho, many are given senior positions in the family business, sometimes after a token period "learning the trade".
In the past, chaebol owners have appeared to be above the law. Those convicted of gross fraud have either received lenient sentences or been granted pardons after just a short time in jail.
Cho had resigned from all her posts and publicly apologised for her behaviour, which her father and KAL chairman Cho Yang-Ho criticised as a "foolish act".
AFP
Thu Feb 12 2015
In this file picture taken on December 17, 2014, Cho Hyun-Ah, the daughter of Korean Air's chief executive, arrives for questioning at the prosecutors' office in Seoul. - AFP PHOTO / FILES / JUNG YEON-JE
AWANI Tonight: Tupperware Brands set to file for bankruptcy
Tupperware Brands is preparing to file for bankruptcy after a year-long effort to revive the business, as it faces mounting debt and a sharp decline in demand for its once iconic plastic containers.
AWANI Tonight: Should M'sia implement stricter controls for children on social media?
Dr Benjamin Loh from Taylor's University shares his insights about the necessity for setting a minimum age limit for children to use social media in Malaysia.
Banjir di Kedah semakin memburuk, bilangan mangsa cecah 1,018 orang
Situasi banjir di Kedah makin memburuk selepas bilangan mangsa mencecah 1,018 orang daripada 268 keluarga yang ditempatkan di 11 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di negeri ini.
PM mahu persediaan mantap dilakukan menjelang kepengerusian ASEAN 2025
Perdana Menteri berkata Malaysia perlu menjadi peneraju hebat dengan menyusun pelbagai program yang benar-benar memberi kesan mendalam kepada komuniti ASEAN secara keseluruhannya.
PM Anwar ulangi komitmen Malaysia jayakan Agenda 2030 untuk pembangunan mampan
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini mengulangi komitmen Malaysia dalam menjayakan Agenda 2030 untuk pembangunan mampan seperti yang dimeterai bersama 192 negara lain pada 2015.
Bunuh: Dua buruh kasar terlepas hukuman mati, diganti penjara 30 tahun
Panel hakim menolak rayuan A.Rames dan Tew Siew Kem untuk mengetepikan sabitan terhadap mereka dan menggantikan hukuman mati dengan penjara.
HUMS dijangka siap Dis 2025, beroperasi pada Jan 2026 - Zambry
HUSM dibina dengan kapasiti 400 katil, 25 bilik pembedahan, 40 katil rawatan intensif atau rapi serta 145 buah klinik pakar.
Tiga wanita ditahan dalam Op Global sambung reman hingga 22 Sept
Tiga wanita yang ditahan menerusi Op Global di Nilai dan Seremban kerana disyaki terbabit dalam kes eksploitasi kanak-kanak di negeri ini, disambung reman hingga 22 Sept.
Arul Kanda tidak tahu tentang kewujudan 'pelaburan' 1MDB - Tony Pua
Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini diberitahu Arul Kanda Kandasamy tidak pasti tentang nilai 'pelaburan' 1MDB atau sama ada ia benar-benar wujud.
Seorang ahli GISB akan dituduh di Mahkamah Majistret Putrajaya esok
Individu terbabit akan didakwa di bawah Seksyen 506 Kanun Keseksaan.