Cho Hyun-min, a former senior vice president of Korean Air, returned home after 15 hours of police questioning during which she reportedly denied allegations of assaulting an employee of an advertisement agency in March.
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| Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-min walks out of the Seoul Gangseo Police Station on Wednesday after being questioned. (Yonhap) |
Cho was called in on Tuesday on charges including business obstruction and assault.
Cho reportedly told police that she threw an empty glass cup toward a wall, not at the person, because she felt that she was being ignored during their conversation about a Korean Air advertisement filmed in England.
With regards to the allegation that she threw a cup of plum juice at other ad agency employees who were also at the meeting, Cho said that she had not intended to throw the cup of juice when she pushed the cup, but its contents had accidently splashed onto the people around her, police said.
Cho’s alleged assault has escalated into a major scandal involving South Korea’s flag carrier. The scandal was sparked by an anonymous post accusing the heiress of throwing a tantrum.
Other cases of whistleblowing have since taken place, with growing criticism of members of the owner family of the company, who are also accused of dodging taxes by bringing in luxury items aboard their company flights.
Cho’s father, Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, had sent out a public apology last week and fired his two daughters from their executive positions. He vowed to bring in professional business operators, but public ire and criticisms have continued.
Police said they will continue to analyze Cho’s phone records, recorded voice clips and witness’s testimonies to clarify what exactly happened during the meeting.
Meanwhile, some Korean Air employees said Wednesday that they would begin collective action against Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho by staging a candlelight protest Friday to pressure Cho to step down.
During the protest, employees will hold placards that read, “Cho Yang-ho Out,” and stage satirical performances, such as throwing a can of plum juice and Macadamia nuts, two items allegedly used during tirades by the Cho daughters.
By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)
