Korean Air Exec Sorry in Macadamia Nut Controversy

An executive at Korean Air, and daughter of the company’s chairman, issued a public apology and resigned amid outrage over her treatment of a flight crew member when she was unhappy with the way she was served macadamia nuts in first class.

“I sincerely apologize for causing trouble for everyone,” said Heather Cho, 40, who was head of Korean Air’s in-flight service division before stepping down this week. “I’m sorry.”

Cho, seated in first class on a Korean Air flight departing from JFK airport in New York, was displeased after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a dish. She ordered the plane back to the gate so the cabin crew chief could be expelled from the flight causing a small departure delay, Reuters reports.

The incident has touched a raw nerve among the public in South Korea, a country dominated by a small number of giant, family-operated comglomerates, known as chaebol.

[Reuters]