Now sister of Korean Air 'nut rage' heiress apologises for tantrum

The younger sister of the Korean Air “nut rage” heiress issued a contrite apology on Thursday after reports that she had thrown a temper tantrum at a business meeting sparked outrage on South Korean internet forums.

Cho Hyun-min, 36, a marketing executive in her family’s Korean Air empire, took to Facebook to “apologise with my head down for my foolish and reckless behaviour” after reportedly flying into a rage and throwing a bottle on the floor during a meeting with an advertising agency.

Initial reports suggested that she had thrown water at one of the agency’s employees, but this was later denied by the airline.

Ms Cho’s alleged actions may have gone unnoticed if not for the earlier diva-like behaviour of her elder sister, Cho Hyun-ah, who made headlines in 2014 for an infamous incident in which she threw a cabin crew chief off a Seoul-bound plane in New York after a row over macadamia nuts.

The elder Ms Cho, now 44, prompted nationwide fury when, incensed that a stewardess had served her nuts in a bag rather than a bowl, she had forced the employee and cabin crew chief to kneel and beg for forgiveness. She then ordered the plane back to the gate and had them ejected.

In the public furore that ensued, Ms Cho was charged with obstructing aviation safety and sentenced to a year in prison, but released after three months. Her father fired her from her job as airline vice-president.

Ms Cho appeared to have somewhat rehabilitated her image during the February Winter Olympics, when she joined her father as he ran with the Olympic torch.

However, the latest outburst from her younger sister revealed that the memory of the Korean Air incident is still strong in the memory of a public with increasingly limited patience for entitled behaviour.

The unbridled power of Seoul’s business and political elites, and the perception that the rich operate according to their own rules, has been a huge issue in South Korea in recent years.  

Reaction to Ms Cho’s tantrum were scathing, reported AFP.

“This whole family is so messed up and classless beyond repair,” said one social media user, while another denounced them as an “international embarrassment.”