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| The daughters of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho have both resigned from their company posts following separate controversies |
The
stony-faced daughter of a Korean billionaire, whose older sister was brought
low by the "nut rage" scandal, apologised Tuesday as she reported to
police for questioning over allegations she sprayed a business associate in the
face with fruit juice.
"I'm
really sorry for causing concern," Cho Hyun-min repeatedly told a crowd of
journalists outside the Gangseo police station in Seoul, without admitting to
any specific actions.
Cho, who
police said is accused of using violence and obstructing business, is the
daughter of Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho.
Hanjin is
among the country's 15 biggest business groups, owner of flag carrier Korean
Air, logistics and transport firms, and with interests in information
technology and hotels.
It used to
own Hanjin Shipping, once one of the world's biggest shipping firms, which was
declared bankrupt last year.
The younger
daughter's police interrogation is only the controlling family's latest brush
with the law, with a series of scandals making them some of the country's most
notorious super-wealthy.
South
Korea's economy -- the world's 11th-largest -- is dominated by a series of
giant business conglomerates known as chaebols.
In the
past, the chaebols contributed to the country's fast economic growth, but as
the founders' sons and grandsons took over they expanded into every corner of
business, and now stand accused of suffocating smaller companies and hampering
innovation.
They have
long had murky ties with political authorities -- Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong
was jailed last year for his role in the corruption scandal that brought down
president Park Geun-hye, although most of his convictions were quashed on
appeal.
Many
chaebol families retain only a small ownership stake in their companies, but
maintain control through complex webs of cross-shareholdings between
subsidiaries, and rapid promotions for family members -- some of whose antics
have battered the firms' images.
"The
Cho family is one of the most vilified chaebol families, with multiple family
members implicated in alleged bad behaviour," Chung Sun-sup of online
information service chaebol.com told AFP.
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Cho Hyun-Ah
(C) made global headlines in 2014 for forcing two flight attendants to
kneel
and beg for forgiveness after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather
than a bowl
|
'Family
misdeeds'
In the most
infamous incident, the chairman's elder daughter Cho Hyun-ah made global
headlines in 2014 for forcing two flight attendants to kneel and beg for
forgiveness after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl.
She ordered
the Seoul-bound flight back to the gate so one of them could be ejected in an
incident quickly dubbed "nut rage".
Since the
accusations against her sister emerged, hundreds of Korean Air personnel have
joined an online chat room to allege Cho family misdeeds against employees and
domestic staff.
Police said
last week they were investigating allegations that the sisters' mother Lee
Myung-hee had herself abused employees verbally and physically.
Korean Air
said the company had no comment.
The family
are also accused of using Korean Air planes to smuggle luxury goods into the
country to avoid import duties.
Chairman
Cho Yang-ho -- who last year faced accusations of embezzling company funds,
although prosecutors rejected a request for his arrest -- last month apologised
for the "immature" behaviour of his daughters, both of whom resigned
from their executive posts.
The row
could yet impact Korean Air itself, and other conglomerates.
Thousands
of petitioners went to the presidential Blue House homepage, urging the
government to ban the airline from using "Korean" in its name and to
expel Cho Hyun-min, who was born in the US and is an American citizen.
Under South
Korean immigration law, foreigners found to have disturbed social order or
harmed public safety can be ordered to leave the country.
Former
lawmaker Park Won-suk said the Cho family controversies would serve as a
"catalyst" for a reform drive.
President
Moon Jae-in was elected last year partly on promises to reform the chaebols --
a pledge various politicians have made many times before.
There has
been little action so far, but Chung noted that the justice ministry last week
introduced a bill to grant minority shareholders a greater voice in appointing
board members.
The move
was "apparently in sync with mounting public demand for chaebol reform
triggered by the Cho case", he said.
Daughter of Korean billionaire faces ‘fruit juice’ inquiry after older sister was brought low by 'nut rage' scandal https://t.co/0r9WjgqmN8— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 1, 2018
Head of the family, Cho Yang-ho (pictured) is one of South Korea's wealthiest men pic.twitter.com/Y4CLzk10Gy
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