Hyundai to make flying cars for Uber air taxis

Yahoo – AFP, January 7, 2020

A model of the S-A1 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is shown at
the Hyundai news event where Hyundai announced its partnership with Uber to create
an air taxi network, during the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas
(AFP Photo/DAVID MCNEW)

Las Vegas (AFP) - Hyundai announced Monday it would mass produce flying cars for Uber's aerial rideshare network set to deploy in 2023.

The South Korean manufacturer said it would produce the four-passenger electric "vertical take-off and landing vehicles" at "automotive scale," without offering details.

The deal announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas could help Uber, which is working with other aircraft manufacturers, to achieve its goal of deploying air taxi service in a handful of cities by 2023.

Jaiwon Shin, head of Hyundai's urban air mobility division, said he expects the large-scale manufacturing to keep costs affordable for the aerial systems.

"We know how to mass produce high quality vehicles," Shin told a news conference at CES.

Eric Allison (L), Head of Uber Elevate, and Jaiwon Shin, Head of Urban Air Mobility 

at Hyundai, talk about their companies' partnership to create an air taxi network, 

during the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (AFP Photo/

DAVID MCNEW)

He said he expected the partnership to allow for the short-range air taxis to be "affordable for everyone."

Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, appeared at the CES event with Hyundai to discuss the partnership.

"By taking transportation out of the two dimensional grid on the ground and moving it into the sky, we can offer significant time savings to our riders," Allison said.

He said that because of its other app-based transport options, "only Uber can seamlessly connect riders from cars, trains and even bikes to aircraft."

People take photos of a model of Hyundai's S-A1 electric vertical takeoff and 

landing (eVTOL) aircraft built in partnership with Uber to create an air taxi network,

during the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (AFP Photo/

DAVID MCNEW)

Uber has announced it had selected Melbourne to join Dallas and Los Angeles in becoming the first cities to offer Uber Air flights, with the goal of beginning demonstrator flights in 2020 and commercial operations in 2023.

Hyundai is using CES to show the S-A1 model aircraft with a cruising speed up to 180 miles (290 km) per hour.

The aircraft utilizes "distributed electric propulsion," designed with multiple rotors that can keep it in the air if one of them fails.

The smaller rotors also help reduce noise, which the companies said is important to cities.

The Hyundai vehicle will be piloted initially but over time will become autonomous, the company said.

UN grants sanctions exemption for Korea railway survey

Yahoo – AFP, 24 November 2018

The two Koreas have agreed to start surveys on reconnecting railways across
the border between North and South

The UN Security Council has granted a sanctions exemption for the two Koreas to jointly conduct a survey on reconnecting railways across their border, a spokesman for the South Korean presidency said Saturday.

The two Koreas last month agreed to start the survey no later than late October and to hold the groundbreaking ceremony sometime between late November and early December, as the countries pursue a reconciliation drive.

But the possibility of the project running up against UN sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear programmes has caused delays.

"It is significant that this project has received support from the United States and international community", said Kim Eui-Gyeom, spokesman for the presidential Blue House in Seoul.

Railway experts from both sides will criss-cross the country on survey trains together, Kim said in a statement, adding that the process will "bring inter-Korean cooperation to a new level".

Yonhap news agency said the South was expected to bring fuel for train locomotives, and other unspecified materials for the survey in the North.

Delivering fuel to North Korea could potentially have been in breach of a UN cap limiting imports to 500,000 barrels a year.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday any inter-Korean rapprochement had to move forward "in tandem" with efforts to denuclearise the peninsula, and could not come sooner.

US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a historic summit in Singapore earlier this year, signing a vaguely worded deal on denuclearisation.

But since then, talks on denuclearisation have stalled, with meetings either deemed unproductive, pushed back or cancelled altogether.

The US and South Korea have launched a working group to make sure that they don't "talk past each other", Pompeo said, as Seoul and Pyongyang appear to be moving ahead with their rapprochement more quickly than Washington and the North are making headway on nuclear disarmament.

A second leaders' summit is expected to take place in early 2019, according to Washington.

In the meantime, North and South Korea have made several concrete decisions on reconciliation and exchanges.

But the implementation of cross-border projects such as the reconnection of railways have been hamstrung by the lack of progress in denuclearisation talks.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) advocates talking to the North's leader
Kim Jong Un to push him to denuclearise (AFP Photo)

Related Article:

Seoul earmarks more than $260 mn for rail, roads in North

Seoul earmarks more than $260 mn for rail, roads in North

Yahoo – AFP, November 8, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) advocates talking to the North's leader
Kim Jong Un to push him to denuclearise (AFP Photo)

Seoul (AFP) - South Korea has earmarked more than $260 million to build new railways and roads in the North, an official said Thursday, as Seoul pushes ahead with cross-border projects despite international sanctions on Pyongyang.

The figure comes as Seoul and Washington follow increasingly divergent approaches to Pyongyang, with the South pursuing engagement while the US insists pressure on it should be maintained until it denuclearises.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in offered to help upgrade the North's outdated rail and road infrastructure and connect it with the South's in meetings this year with the North's leader Kim Jong Un.

Seoul plans to spend about 295.1 billion won ($264 million) on the schemes next year, an official at Seoul's unification ministry told reporters, with most of it -- 186.4 billion won -- given freely and 108.7 billion won in loans.

"It is an estimate for now... we will continue efforts, including policy coordination with the US, to carry out the projects agreed between the two Koreas without a hitch," said the official who declined to be named.

Security allies Seoul and Washington agreed last week to set up a new working group to co-ordinate policy amid growing concerns in the US over Moon's approach.

The official's comments came as a Southern lawmaker accused Seoul of ignoring UN sanctions on the North.

"The US maintains the position that it would maintain maximum pressure until the North produces visible progress on denuclearisation and so does the international community including the EU," Chung Byoung-gug told the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.

"The budget allocation by our government may make it look like our government is undermining international coordination on sanctions on the North," he was quoted as saying.

The isolated, impoverished North is under multiple sets of sanctions imposed over past nuclear and missile tests staged in violation of UN resolutions.

Lifting the measures -- which bans much of its trade including coal exports -- is a key demand of Pyongyang's in its ongoing denuclearisation talks with the US.

Kim and Donald Trump held a historic summit in June in Singapore and signed a vaguely worded deal on denuclearisation, but little progress has been made since then, with the two countries sparring over the exact meaning of the agreement.

Planned talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of Kim's right-hand men, Kim Yong Chol, were also delayed this week.

Moon -- a dove who advocates dialogue with the North to push it towards denuclearisation -- has met Kim three times so far this year and another summit is being planned in Seoul.

Nut rage sister faces fruit juice questions in S. Korea

Yahoo – AFP, Park Chan-kyong, 1 May 2018

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.

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
Head of the family, Cho Yang-ho (pictured) is one of South Korea's wealthiest men pic.twitter.com/Y4CLzk10Gy

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 1, 2018

Kia, Hyundai reach $41.2 mn settlement with US states

Yahoo – AFP, October 27, 2016

Hyundai and Kia, which is partially owned by Hyundai, claimed fuel efficiency
ratings of up to 40 miles per gallon for some of their cars, exaggerating the true
consumption rate by one to six miles per gallon (AFP Photo/Justin Sullivan)

Washington (AFP) - South Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai reached a $41.2 million settlement with US states over inflated fuel economy claims for their cars, officials said Thursday.

The settlement with 33 states and the District of Columbia was the latest fallout after the automakers were caught in 2012 artificially boosting the fuel economy ratings.

"Consumers who do thoughtful research and purchase a vehicle in line with their budget and their desire to protect the environment should be able to trust what automakers say about their cars," Karl Racine, District of Columbia attorney general, said in a statement.

Hyundai and Kia, which is partially owned by Hyundai, claimed fuel efficiency ratings of up to 40 miles per gallon (7.1 liters per 100 km) for some of their cars, exaggerating the true consumption rate by one to six miles per gallon.

About 1.1 million vehicles in the 2011-2013 model-years sold in the United States and Canada had bogus fuel ratings, the companies admitted. They both agreed in 2012 to reimburse car owners for their additional fuel costs.

Both companies also agreed in 2014 to pay a combined $300 million in fines and regulatory credit forfeitures to settle a two-year probe by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department.

The news follows this week's approval of a $14.7 billion class-action settlement of Volkswagen's case in US courts over the German automaker's emissions cheating scandal.

Nissan to be fined for 'emissions cheating' in South Korea

Yahoo – AFP, Jung Ha-Won, May 16, 2016

South Korea is fining Nissan for allegedly manipulating emissions data on a
popular diesel sports utility vehicle (AFP Photo/Toshifumi Kitamura)

Seoul (AFP) - South Korea said Monday it will fine Nissan for allegedly manipulating emissions data on a popular diesel sports utility vehicle, bringing the Japanese car giant into a widening global scandal that has already ensnared Volkswagen and Mitsubishi.

Seoul said it would order recalls of hundreds of Qashqai model SUVs after tests revealed an emission defeat system that made the vehicle appear to be less polluting than it really was.

The decision follows an investigation into 20 diesel-powered cars that began last December after German carmaker Volkswagen admitted having installed devices aimed at cheating emissions tests in 11 million diesel engines.

Nissan would be fined 330 million won ($280,000), the environment ministry said Monday.

"Our investigation... concluded that Nissan illegally manipulated emission data," it said in a statement.

Japanese transport ministry officials raid theTokyo headquarters of Mitsubishi after

the firm admitted manipulating fuel economy figures. Rough cut (no reporter narration)

Hong Dong-Kon, a ministry official handling transport-related regulations, added: "A group of auto industry experts we consulted with also agreed that this is a clear manipulation of emission data."

State tests showed the Qashqai switched off its emission reduction device when the car temperature reached 35 degrees Celsius to stop the vehicle from overheating, whereas other cars waited until the temperature reached 50 degrees.

The ministry also said that when the Qashqai's emissions reduction device stopped working, the level of emissions was about the same or higher than the Volkswagen cars equipped with emissions-cheating software systems.

Nissan will be given 10 days to present its opinions on the Qashqai issue before Seoul officially carries out punitive measures, the environment ministry said.

VW crisis

VW was plunged into its deepest-ever

 crisis last year when it emerged it had

 installed defeat devices into cars all over

the world (AFP Photo/Odd Andersen)

Nissan insisted it "does not manipulate data related to our vehicles" in a statement sent to AFP.

"Nissan has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that we make."

The statement added: "Furthermore, following stringent testing and using similar standards to the Korean tests, EU authorities have concluded that Nissan vehicles they tested used no illegal defeat device.

"Although the conclusions reached by the Korean authorities are inconsistent with those of other regulators, Nissan will carefully assess and consider appropriate next steps.

The company said it was "committed to upholding the law" and was "continuing to work with the Korean authorities".

Unlike its rivals Volkswagen and Mitsubishi, Nissan -- Japan's number two automaker -- has so far avoided being embroiled in any emissions or fuel economy cheating scandals.

Mitsubishi last month admitted it had been falsifying fuel-economy tests for years, manipulating data to make cars seem more efficient than they were in reality.

The scandal includes mini-cars produced by Mitsubishi for Nissan as part of a joint venture, but Nissan is said to have had no part in the cheating.

Volkswagen emissions scandal (AFP Photo)

Nissan threw a surprise lifeline to Mitsubishi last week by offering to buy 34 percent of its shares, but its top executive warned Friday that he would kill the $2.2 billion offer if the Mitsubishi scandal spreads beyond Japan.

VW was plunged into its deepest-ever crisis last September when it emerged it had installed defeat devices into cars all over the world.

The automaker has acknowledged 11 million vehicles are fitted with software that reduces pollution levels only when the car is being tested for emissions.

In late April the company said it was setting aside 16.2 billion euros ($18.2 billion) in provisions to cover the anticipated costs of the scandal.

Last November Seoul ordered Volkswagen Korea to recall more than 125,000 diesel-powered cars sold in the Korean market and fined the firm 14.1 billion won.

Netherlands, South Korea in Charge of Jakarta Sea Wall Study

Jakarta Globe, Dion Bisara, September 04, 2015

The Jakarta sea wall will create a huge reservoir in the north coast of Jakarta,
acting as a flood control system and a water source for the surrounding population.
(ID Photo/Zabur Karuru)

Jakarta. The Netherlands and South Korea have pledged a total of $19 million in grant funding to help Indonesia conduct a study for the second and third phase of its sea wall project off the coast of Jakarta.

South Korea is setting aside $9.5 million for research on undersea currents and soil structure for the project, dubbed National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD).

The Dutch, meanwhile, have allocated 8.5 million euros ($9.5 million) for a follow-up study, Indonesia's Public Works and Housing Ministry said in a statement released on Thursday.

Officials from the three countries signed a letter of intent for the joint study on Thursday.

The South Koreans are set to begin their part by the end of this month, said Lucky Eko Wuryanto, deputy for infrastructure at the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The study is expected to reach conclusion by 2017, before the government has to decide whether to continue the sea wall project.

The second and third phase of the  massive endeavor will create a huge reservoir in the north coast of Jakarta, acting as a flood control system and water source for the surrounding population.

The Indonesian government, with help from the Netherlands, started construction to strengthen existing retaining walls on the coast last October as part of the first phase of NCICD.

Related Article:

'Great wall of Jakarta' plan to combat floods

Korean Air Heiress Charged Over ‘Nut Rage’ Case

Jakarta – AFP, Jan 07, 2015

South Korea's Korean Air plane, center, sits on the tarmac at Gimpo airport
in Seoul on Dec. 9, 2014. (AFP Photo/Jung Yeon-je)

Seoul. South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday charged Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah with causing a safety hazard on a flight following a “nut rage” incident that sparked a national uproar.

Cho, daughter of the airline’s boss and herself a KAL executive at the time, ordered the chief purser off a Dec. 5 New York-Seoul flight and compelled the taxiing plane to return to the terminal gate so he could disembark.

She had taken exception to being served macadamia nuts which she had not requested — and in a bag, not a bowl.

“The plane was forced to change its planned line of movement and the chief purser, who was on duty to ensure flight safety, had to leave the plane, causing safety hazards,” senior prosecutor Kim Chang-hee told journalists.

“Korean Air staff were mobilized in attempts to eliminate and tamper with evidence” by fabricating statements in order to get Cho off the hook, he said.

Cho is charged with forcing the flight to change its planned movements and using violence against crew members, both breaches of an aviation safety law, as well as obstructing official duties by leading the company’s attempts to cover up the incident.

If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison but legal experts said she would likely draw a suspended jail sentence.

Cho, 40, was arrested and jailed on Tuesday last week after a local court issued a warrant, citing “the gravity of the issue as well as the organized efforts to cover up” the case.

She has been sharing a cell in a Seoul detention center.

Cho is one of three children of KAL boss Cho Yang-Ho, who is also the patriarch of business conglomerate and KAL’s parent company Hanjin Group.

She has publicly apologized for the incident and resigned from all her posts at Korean Air and its affiliates.

Prosecutors also brought charges against a Korean Air executive surnamed Yeo for his alleged involvement in Korean Air’s attempts to eliminate evidence.

A transportation ministry official who leaked details of a government probe into the case to Yeo was also indicted.

Prosecutors said they would investigate allegations that government officials got free upgrades to business-class seats from Korean Air.

The transport ministry has vowed to sanction the airline with a flight ban, most likely on the New York-Seoul route, that could last for up to a month, or with fines of up to $2 million.

Separately, the ministry has announced it would punish eight of its officials after admitting that their investigation into the affair was biased in favor of Cho and Korean Air.

In the public eye, the incident exemplified the authoritarian mindset of the family-run business conglomerates known as “chaebol”, and their unhealthy connections with government officials.

“The case fueled seething public resentment against chaebols and government watchdogs who are enjoying their patronage instead of overseeing them,”, said Sogang University sociology professor Chun Sang-Jin.

Agence France-Presse

Related Articles:

Korean Air heiress arrested for 'nut rage'

South Korean heiress apologizes to flight attendants for 'nut rage'

Korean Air heiress arrested for 'nut rage'

Yahoo - AFP, 30 Dec 2014

Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-Ah (centre) grabs an arm of a prosecution official
as she leaves for the prosecutors office in Seoul, on December 30, 2014 (AFP)

Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-Ah was arrested on Tuesday for delaying a flight with a tantrum over snacks in a "nut rage" incident that caused a national uproar, according to a media report.

Cho has been accused of forcing the chief purser off a December 5 New York-Seoul flight and of compelling the taxiing plane to return to the gate so he could disembark.

She had taken exception to being served macadamia nuts she had not asked for -- and in a bag, not a bowl.

Cable news network YTN showed Cho as she was taken by prosecutors to prison late Tuesday -- the 40-year-old kept her head low and said "I'm sorry" as she left the building, broadcast footage showed.

The prosecutors' office had applied for an arrest warrant last week -- this was finally granted by a court in Seoul late Tuesday, Yonhap news agency said.

Cho was charged with violation of the aviation safety law, coercion and interference in the execution of duty.

An unidentified KAL executive was also arrested Tuesday on charges of destroying evidence from the incident.

Cho -- one of three children of Korean Air boss Cho Yang-Ho, the patriarch of business conglomerate Hanjin Group -- has publicly apologised and resigned from all her posts in the organisation.

The transport ministry has vowed to sanction the airline with a flight ban, most likely on the New York-Seoul route, that could last for up to a month, or with fines of up to $2 million.

However the investigation into the incident has also been tainted with scandal.

A ministry investigator was arrested last week for leaking details of the investigation to KAL officials.

Separately, the transport ministry has vowed to punish eight of its officials after admitting their investigation into the incident was unfair.

Speaking at an official briefing Monday, Shin Un-Chul, a ministry auditor, said the investigation into the incident had been impaired due to the fact that a KAL staffer had been present, which may have intimidated witnesses.

"We have found our fairness was impaired by an imprudent investigation," Shin told reporters.

Four of the eight officials who questioned Cho will receive a warning, while the others will be referred to a disciplinary committee and could face dismissal.

Related Article:

South Korean heiress apologizes to flight attendants for 'nut rage'

South Korea charges Uber CEO Kalanick for operating illegal taxi service

Prosecutors in Seoul have brought charges against the US founder and CEO of the smartphone taxi service Uber, Travis Kalanick. Authorities say Kalanick was indicted for violating passenger transport laws.

Deutsche Welle, 24 Dec 2014

Lawyers representing the South Korean government indicted Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of smartphone taxi service company Uber, on Tuesday. Kalanick was found to have operated an illegal business, according to local media reports.

The Uber chief was indicted in absentia by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Yonhap news agency reported. Another local taxi service, who's CEO went by the name of Lee, was also charged under a law regulating passenger transport, but was not immediately arrested.

It wasn't clear whether Kalanick would come to Seoul for trial.

Seoul's local city government filed complaints saying Uber's operations raised concerns about passenger safety and threatened the livelihood of licensed taxi drivers. Authorities launched a crackdown on drivers and rental cars that operated with Uber.

A reward of up to one million won (around $900) was offered for information on Uber's activities.

South Korean drivers have been angry that Uber has taken over a chunk of their business. Uber, a mobile phone app which connects taxi drivers to passengers, sparked angry protests by taxi drivers in France and Germany earlier this year who felt threatened by the app's growing popularity.

The company was also banned in the Indian capital New Delhi earlier this month after one of it's drivers allegedly raped a woman passenger.

mg/jm (AFP,dpa)

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South Korean heiress apologizes to flight attendants for 'nut rage'

The daughter of Korean Air Lines chairman has apologized to the two flight attendants she harrassed about improperly served macadamia nuts. One steward described her allegedly outlandish behavior on South Korean TV.

Deutsche Welle, 14 Dec 2014

Cho Hyun-ah, daughter of Korean Air Lines Chairman Cho Yang-ho and former head of cabin service for the company, apologized personally on Sunday to two flight attendants she admitted insulting and humiliating in an incident dubbed "nut rage" by the media.

Cho made headlines last week over her behavior on a Korean Airlines jet, in which the 40-year-old executive delayed the New York-Seoul flight because she was dissatisfied with the way an attendant served her macadamia nuts. New details about the events have emerged, with the flight attendant in question claiming he was asked to lie to investigators and forced to kneel by Cho.

"People who haven't experienced [this] will not understand that feeling of being insulted and shamed," said senior flight attendant Park Chang-jin on South Korea's KBS television network. After Cho became enraged that the first-class steward brought her the nuts, which she had not ordered, in a packet instead of a bowl, Park says he and his colleague were made to kneel in front of her, before being called names and pushed into the cockpit door.

According to Park, Cho shouted to the cabin crew to "call right now and stop the plane. I will stop this plane from leaving." In his KBS interview, Park said he feared to "disobey the daughter of the owner."

Cho vehemently denies forcing anyone to kneel, saying on Sunday: "I've never heard of such a thing. I don't know anything about it."

She went to the homes of both Park and his unnamed colleague, but as neither of them was home she left notes of apology.

Privilege and arrogance

She resigned her post as head of cabin service for Korean Air Lines shortly after the incident, and both Cho and her father made public apologies at press conferences. Cho told journalists, "I sincerely apologize. I'm sorry," a few hours after her father had bowed to members of the press corps and taken responsibility for failing "to raise the child properly."

The drama has captivated South Korea, where Cho has been called a "princess" and chided by the media. Amid growing criticism of such displays of entitlement, many point the finger at a culture in which business dynasties were credited with leading the country to modernization and wealth.

Cho is being questioned by state authorities about whether she violated aviation law.

es/tj (AP, AFP)

Related Article:

Korean Air CEO's daughter resigns over 'nut rage' row

Korean Air CEO's daughter resigns over 'nut rage' row

Yahoo – AFP, December 10, 2014

Korean Air apologises over VP's nuts incident

Seoul (AFP) - The daughter of Korean Air's CEO resigned Tuesday after being widely criticised for having the chief purser kicked off a plane because of the way she had been served some nuts.

Cho Hyun-Ah, a top executive in Korean Air's in-flight service, forced the New York-Seoul flight to return to its gate last Friday to remove the most senior member of the crew, causing the plane to be delayed.

Her behaviour attracted heavy criticism in South Korea, where she was accused of being petty and arrogant, and even prompted a state probe over a possible breach of aviation safety laws.

"I feel so sorry for our customers and South Koreans for causing such trouble... and seek forgiveness from the people who might have been hurt by me," Cho, 40, said in a statement released by Korean Air.

"I will resign from all my posts at Korean Air to take responsibility for the incident," she was quoted as saying.

Korean Air CEO Cho Yang-Ho immediately accepted her resignation, according to the statement.

Korean Air's spokesman told AFP that Cho would retain the title of vice president even though she no longer had any official role in the company, adding it was not clear whether she would hold any responsibilities in the future.

The Seoul flight had just left its gate at New York's JFK airport on Friday when the incident occurred.

Cho, sitting in first class, took exception to the arrival of some macadamia nuts she had not asked for, and to the fact that they were served in a packet rather than a bowl.

She summoned the chief purser who, according to an earlier Korean Air statement, replied with "lies and excuses" when challenged over his crew's knowledge of in-flight service procedures.

Cho then decided the chief purser was "incapable" and the plane returned to the gate where he disembarked, causing an 11-minute delay in arrival.

Korean Air -- South Korea's flag carrier -- earlier apologised for causing "inconvenience" for passengers but defended Cho's action as a "reasonable" move to improve in-flight service.

It also argued that the final decision to deplane the employee was taken by the captain.

Transport Minister Suh Seoung-Hwan said earlier Tuesday the incident was being investigated and any regulatory breach would be "handled sternly".

'Ugly behaviour'

The media backlash against Cho has been extensive.

"This ugly behaviour by the Korean Air boss's daughter puts the entire nation to shame," Seoul's top business daily, the Maeil Business Newspaper, said in an editorial.

"This is a global embarrassment for South Korea... Korean Air should punish Cho, and she should apologise to the public for disregarding passengers' safety," it said.

The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said Cho's action had exposed the "sense of entitlement and supercilious attitude" prevalent among the rich.

"Apparently some members of owner families like Cho see their companies like their own kingdom," it added.

Cho, one of the CEO's three children, joined Korean Air in 1999 and was promoted to vice president this year.

A major Seoul civic group joined the fray, saying it would ask prosecutors to investigate Cho for a potential breach of aviation safety laws and disruption of business.

"Given the suffering of the cabin crew who were subject to such insult and abuse... the prosecutors should launch an investigation immediately to prevent similar abuse by high-level company executives in the future," People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement.

A formal request for the probe would be filed Wednesday, it added.