Heiress of Korean Air accuses brother of ignoring late father’s will

Heiress of a South Korean airlines, popular for her ‘nut rage’ incident, accused her brother of disobeying late father’s wish to manage the airline's parent company together. Heather Cho, who made international headlines for her anger over nuts, said that her younger brother Cho Won-tae went against the wish of Cho Yang-ho, their late father and former chairman of Korean Air parent Hanjin Group.

'Making decisions without consultation'

Won-tae became the chairman of Hanji group after his father’s death and is also the chief executive officer (CEO) of Korean Air. Heather’s lawyers issued a statement on December 23 saying Won-tae has been unilaterally making management decisions. According to the statement, Won-tae remains insincere while making decisions regarding the management of the group and not aligned with late chairman’s wish to lead the group with harmony.

Read: South Korea, US Forces Practice Raiding Enemy Facilities As North Korea Tensions Rise

Hanji group issued a statement saying the incident hopefully won’t have an impact on the company’s stability. As per media reports, Heather might join hands with other investors in order to raise their stakes in the overall holding of the group. Cho Won-tae holds a slightly higher number of shares among the siblings with 6.46 per cent, while Heather holds 6.43 per cent of Hanjin Kal shares. Emily Cho, the third child of Yang-ho holds the lowest number, 6.42 per cent, of shares among siblings.

Read: China, South Korea Look To Improve Ties With Beijing Summit

Both Cho sisters had faced criticism in the past for their behaviour which forced them to step down from their positions at Korean Air. While Heather was arrested in 2014 for throwing tantrums over the way macadamia nuts were served on a flight, her younger sister threw a drink at an ad agency worker during a meeting. Emily later apologised for her behaviour when police investigated in the incident and questioned her. After these incidents, the poor behaviour of members of elite families came under public scrutiny. The sisters had to relinquish their positions at Korean Air following a huge public outrage.

Read: South Korea To China: Stalled US-North Korea Talks Harmful For Pyongyang

Read: Japan Lifts Ban On The Export Of Key Components To South Korea

(With inputs from agencies)