Seoul, Dec 15 (IANS/EFE) Former Korean Air vice-president Cho Hyun-ah Monday visited the homes of the grounded crew member and the airhostess -- who served her nuts in an inappropriate manner -- to apologise for the incident which continues to dominate headlines n South Korea.
Cho, who tried to visit the two over the weekend but could not locate them, Monday left notes of apology at their empty residences, a Korean Air spokesperson told the Kookmin newspaper.
The Joongang newspaper reported that the state prosecutor's office would this week call Cho for questioning into the nut incident and could issue an arrest warrant against her.
The daughter of airline president Cho Yang-ho, Cho resigned from her post last week in the wake of reports that she grounded a crew member at New York City's JFK International Airport just as the plane was about to take off for South Korea Dec 5.
The South Korean authorities are investigating the incident as it could have violated aviation security laws after the plane with 250 passengers was made to return to the boarding gate, causing a delay of 11 minutes.
According to press reports, Cho, who was head of the airline's in-flight services, became angry because she was served macadamia nuts in a bag and not on a plate.
A passenger who was in the business class seat next to Cho, a 32-year-old South Korean woman with the surname Park, testified before the public prosecutor and spoke to the media during the weekend.
Cho shouted and pushed the flight attendant who served the nuts and initially tried to ground her, but finally decided to punish her immediate superior, Park told the SBS television channel.
The witness also claimed that representatives from Korean Air asked her to give a "friendly" version of the events to the media and in return promised to reward her with a miniature replica of an airplane and a 2015 calendar.
The case has generated huge controversy in South Korea, where the media and internet users termed Cho's behaviour as abusive and arrogant.
Founded in 1969 and with a fleet of about 160 planes, Korean Air is one of the family conglomerates, or chaebol, which enjoy enormous political and economic power in South Korea.
--IANS/EFE
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