Ex-Korea Air executive convicted in 'nut rage' incident, jailed for 1 year

A Korean Air executive learned that &quot;nut rage&quot; has consequences

(Image credit: Reuters/YouTube)

last updated 12 February 2015

On Thursday, a court in Seoul convicted former Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah of illegally forcing a flight last December back to the gate, after a flight attendant apparently served her macadamia nuts incorrectly in first class. "She forced the plane to turn around as if it were her own private plane," Judge Oh Seong-u said when sentencing her to one year in jail. Prosecutors had asked for three years.

The "nut rage" incident also harmed the "national image" of South Korea, Judge Oh said. "It is doubtful that the way the nuts were served was so wrong." Cho, one of the wealthiest women in South Korea, is the daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho. The court also sentenced another airline executive, Yeo Un-jin, to eight months in jail for trying to silence the crew to protect Cho Huan-ah. Watch Reuters' report on Cho's sentence below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.