April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean Air’s foul-mouthed heiress Cho Hyun-min appeared for police questioning on May 1, about three weeks since she grabbed the headlines here for mistreating ad agency employees.

Dressed from head to toe in ebony, Cho tightly gripped a black tote as she bowed deeply at the photo line at a police station in western Seoul where Korean Air headquarters are located.

“I’m sorry for all the concerns I’ve caused,” Cho said, saying nothing else more despite the press firing questions. 

Cho Hyun-min waiting to go in for police questioning on May 1.

The charges against Cho are mainly assault and business obstruction. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, authorities say, since major government agencies including the Customs Office and the Fair Trade Commission are investigating Korean Air and parent company Hanjin Group from all sides, focusing on smuggling allegations and tax evasion.

Ministries are also looking into whether Cho Hyun-min – a US passport-holder – has the right to inherit managing rights in Korean Air, since foreigners are banned from holding such positions at local airliners.

Cho, the youngest of the three kids of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho including Hyun-ah who gained notoriety in 2014 for the so-called “nut rage” incident, had a habit of harassing and mistreating employees, whether they belong to Korean Air or companies commissioned by the airliner.

Recordings of Cho lashing out at meetings went viral, along with those of her mother who reportedly was even worse, verbally and physically abusing everyone on her staff. One of her chauffeurs recently told the press that the Cho family tried to buy his silence.

Other sources say Chairman Cho is equally abusive, citing instances when he abused employees for mistakes or anything he found not be up to his standards. Evidence of the chairman's temper tantrums, however, have yet to surface.

By Bryan Hong (bhong@heraldcorp.com)