SEOUL // The former Korean Air executive famous for an in-flight tantrum over macadamia nuts has pleaded not guilty to violating aviation safety law and other charges.
Lawyers for Cho Hyun-ah did not dispute the major elements of the prosecutor’s account of events December 5 when Ms Cho’s behaviour resulted in a Korean Air jet returning to the gate in New York. Instead they are focusing on a technical rebuttal of the aviation law charge.
Ms Cho, the 40-year-old daughter of Korean Air chief executive Cho Yang-ho, spent most of the first day of her trial Monday with her head lowered and hair covering her face.
She declined to make any comments when invited to by the judge.
Ms Cho achieved worldwide notoriety by kicking a crew member off the December 5 flight after being offered macadamia nuts in a bag, instead of on a dish.
If found guilty, she could face a maximum 10-year sentence if convicted of the aviation safety violations and a possible five years on additional charges of coercing KAL staff to give false testimony and interference in the execution of duty.
Ms Cho appeared in court along with a company executive, who was indicted for evidence tampering, and a transport ministry official accused of leaking details of a government probe into the case.
The transport ministry plans to sanction KAL with a limited flight route ban that could last for up to a month, or with fines of up to US$2 million.
Separately, it has vowed to punish eight of its officials after admitting that their investigation into the affair was biased in favour of Cho and Korean Air.
* Agencies
