Hanjin Group and flagship Korean Air Lines whose snobbish daughters of the owner family have cost the flag carrier’s name at home and abroad as well as inviting probe from law enforcement office have suspended Cho Hyun-min while she receives questioning for abuse of power.

The group said Cho Hyun-min, senior vice president of KAL, would be relieved from her duties, partially yielding to the employees’ demand for her dismissal for defaming the airliner’s reputation.

Cho, the youngest daughter of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, has recently sparked public uproar for throwing a cup of water to an ad agency manager because she was angry with him. The exposure led to a torrent of accounts of her fits and overbearing ways towards employees and others.

Three unions under KAL issued a statement demanding her to immediately step down and make a sincere public apology, and for the management to take measure to contain misbehaving family members from hurting the pride of their work.

Her older sister Cho Hyun-ah was also involved in a power abuse incident called “nut rage” in 2014 when she ordered a plane to return to the gate because she was unhappy with the way her nuts were served. She was found guilty of violating aviation safety law and abusing of power.

The unions said in the statement that they have been heavily affected by the series of revelation of the family owners’ arrogant and overbearing attitudes. Consumers are petitioning that the airliner should be stripped of bearing “Korea” in its name for the shame it had brought onto the country.

KAL said it would take actions upon the findings of police investigation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport initiated a separate probe on Cho Hyun-min for serving as a registered board member on Jin Air, budget carrier under KAL. Hyun-min, an American citizen, had maintained board title from 2010 to 2016. The local aviation law bans non-Korean national from holding a board title at a national airliner.

Shares of KAL ended Tuesday up 1.81 percent at 33,700 won, and those of Jin Air up 1.15 percent at 30,700 won.

By Moon Ji-woong and Choi Mira

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]