Korean Air executive resigns over nuts on a plate row
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Heather Cho asks for forgiveness, says she takes full responsibility, airline says
Korean Air says Cho has resigned from some roles but is keeping VP title
Airline says ordering a flight assistant to get off the plane was excessive
Cho ordered a plane back to the gate after a flight attendant served nuts in a bag
(CNN) -- A Korean Air executive has resigned from some of her duties after she ordered a flight to be turned around to the gate and a flight attendant off the plane because she was served nuts in a bag instead of on a plate.
Heather Cho, whose Korean name is Cho Hyun-ah, resigned Tuesday from the airline's catering and in-flight sales business, and its cabin service and hotel business divisions, an airline spokesman said.
But she is keeping her title as a vice president of the national carrier, he said.
As for the next steps, the spokesman told CNN there is an investigation going on, so "we will have to see."
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The incident occurred Friday at New York's JFK airport on a flight due to take off for South Korea's Incheon International Airport, outside Seoul.
Cho reportedly demanded that the plane go back to the gate so the crew member who served her macadamia nuts out of a bag rather than on a plate in First Class could be kicked off the flight.
Although her role put her in charge of in-flight service, she was only a passenger on this flight and was not flying in an official capacity.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Cho is the eldest daughter of Korean Air's chairman, Cho Yang-ho.
He apologized Tuesday for any inconvenience caused to passengers and said the incident would be investigated, the news agency reported.
Korean Air also issued an apology on Heather Cho's behalf, Yonhap reported, in which she asked for forgiveness. "I will take full responsibility for the incident and step down from my post," she is quoted as saying.
Korean Air apologized for any discomfort to those on the flight and said there had been no safety issues involved. The plane arrived at its destination only 11 minutes behind schedule, according to Yonhap.
"Even though it was not an emergency situation, backing up the plane to order an employee to deplane was an excessive act," the airline said in a statement.
"We will re-educate all our employees to make sure service within the plane meets high standards."
The Korean Air pilots' union criticized the airline for its statement, saying it was seeking to shift the blame onto the flight crew and protect the vice president.
According to her biography on the website of Nanyang Technological University, Heather Cho joined the airline in 1999 and has since been "actively involved in establishing a new corporate identity for Korean Air."
She studied at Cornell University and the University of Southern California.
By Laura Smith-Spark , CNN
December 9, 2014 -- Updated 1437 GMT (2237 HKT)
大韓航空副社長辞任 ふるまいに批判12月10日 6時45分
韓国の大手航空会社の女性副社長が、自分の会社の旅客機に客として搭乗した直後に受けた機内サービスがなっていないと腹を立て、滑走路に向かい始めていた機体を搭乗口に戻して乗務員を下ろし、「行き過ぎたふるまいだ」と批判されて辞任しました。
辞任したのは、韓国の大韓航空のチョ・ヒョナ（趙顕娥）副社長で、ＫＢＳなど韓国のメディアによりますと、チョ副社長は５日、ニューヨークから韓国のインチョン（仁川）に向かう自分の会社の旅客機にファーストクラスの客として搭乗しました。
機内でピーナツ類が配られたところ、チョ副社長は、乗客の意向を聞かずに袋に入ったまま渡したのはマニュアル違反だと腹を立て、機内サービスの責任者の乗務員を激しく叱責しました。
そして、すでに滑走路に向けて動き始めていた機体を搭乗口に戻させたうえで、この乗務員を下ろしたということです。
チョ副社長は、大韓航空や大手海運会社を傘下に収める財閥、ハンジン（韓進）・グループの会長の長女で、問題が明るみに出たあと、「財閥の会長の娘による行き過ぎたふるまいだ」と批判されました。
さらに、大韓航空がほかの乗客に迷惑をかけたとしながらも「機内サービスの責任を負う役員として当然の行いだった」と釈明したことから世論の怒りが高まり、チョ副社長は９日、辞任しました。
韓国メディアは「大韓航空には航空の安全も守らない役員と、その顔色をうかがう機長しかいない」などと批判を緩めておらず、韓国政府は法的な措置を取ることも念頭に調査を進めるとしています。
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