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Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho arrives at Incheon International Airport from Paris

On Dec. 9, Korean Air Vice President Cho Hyun-ah stepped down from all of her work at the company including head of in-flight service after her controversial decision to order a Korean Air plane that was about to take off at JFK Airport in New York to return to the boarding ramp.

While the company announced that Cho Hyun-ah resigned, the decision was likely made by her father and Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho at a meeting of company executives that was held at Incheon International Airport. Cho Yang-ho returned to South Korea on Tuesday after a statement of apology released on the evening of Dec. 8 only provoked more public criticism.

Dec. 9. (by Lee Jong-geun

But since Cho Hyun-ah is maintaining the title of vice president and registered director, controversy is likely to continue about whether she has genuinely acknowledged her fault and been disciplined appropriately.

While the statement to the media issued by the airline late in the evening of Dec. 8 did apologize to passengers for the flight delay, it implied that Cho Hyun-ah had been exercising her authority as the executive in charge of service and that there had been a problem with the service provided by the flight attendants in question.

This matches the tone of an email the company sent to Korean Air employees on Tuesday morning with instructions about how to respond to inquiries from people outside the company. “The flight attendant in question made a mistake in providing service, and the head flight attendant had an incorrect understanding of basic service procedures. After deliberating with the captain of the plane, Cho Hyun-ah concluded that the head flight attendant was not up for the job of supervising safety and service on the plane and decided that she should disembark,” the email said.

The Korean Air pilot union responded immediately by issuing a statement on Dec. 9 sharply criticizing the company’s email.

“The company does not appear to be taking full responsibility for the unfortunate incident involving Vice President Cho, and it is shifting the blame to the flight attendants in order to cover up her grave error. If the company were actually concerned about its employees instead of trying to blame the pilot and the flight attendants connected with the incident, it would fully acknowledge that its executives were at fault and apologize for their mistake,” the union said in the statement.

“Korean Air is not the kind of company in which members of the owner’s family have carte blanche to act as they please, but this incident shows that the company management thinks otherwise,” the union said. The union is prepared to move into action to counter company plans.

Since Korean Air operates international routes, it was likely under considerable pressure as a result of how the incident was covered in the foreign media.

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy lodged a criminal complaint about Cho Hyun-ah‘s actions on Dec. 10, meaning the case will soon be investigated by the prosecutors. The growing likelihood that the details of the incident will be made public also appears to have influenced Korean Air’s decision to have her step down.

With public opinion at a nadir, the company had Cho Hyun-ah resign and is now waiting to see what will happen in investigations by the prosecutors and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, analysts believe.

But the incident is far from over. Cho Yang-ho and his family members need to take concrete steps to address criticism that their high-handed attitude was at the root of this incident.

“On days when members of Chairman Cho’s family are scheduled to board the plane, flight attendants have to arrive several hours early. They are even given specific instructions about the color of their uniform,” said an employee at Korean Air.

Numerous employees at the company report that members of the family have spoken to them rudely. “It’s worse than the army,” one former pilot for the company said.

As long as the owner’s family members do not change their attitude, many believe, it will not be easy for the company to repair its reputation.

By Kim Mi-young, staff reporter

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