Kim Do-hee, the flight attendant in the middle of the "nut" controversy involving Cho Hyun-ah, Korean Air's Chairman Cho Yang-ho's daughter, said on Jan. 30 that she lied about the macadamia nut incident after being pressured by Korean Air executives.
In January, Kim denied any physical or verbal abuse by Cho. In a statement, she said, "You can't imagine how powerful she is. She's not just an executive of our company but also the daughter of Korean Air's chairman."
The incident happened on Dec. 5, 2014 when Ms. Cho requested for macadamia nut. She flipped after the nuts were handed in a bag and not in a bowl. She then ordered the plane to return to JFK causing delays. Her reaction to the incident caused quite a stir both in South Korea and in the United States.
Kim testified that Ms. Cho Hyun-ah insulted and pushed her. She also said that Cho even flung a tablet at her, New York Post reported.
Kim added that she, together with chief steward Park Chang Jin, knelt before Cho to apologize about the incident while being scolded by her. She added that she and the chief steward were forced by the airline's executive to deny everything that had happened to the authorities. She also said that she was even bribed a position as a professor at a school that's affiliated with Korean Air.
Kim said, "I didn't want to accept her apology. I didn't go home for four days trying to avoid Cho."
Where's Ms. Cho now? Apparently, she has been behind bars since Dec. 30, 2014. According to Market Watch, she is facing charges on violation of aviation safety law, interference in the execution of duty, coercion and assault on a plane. If found guilty on all charges, she is going to be behind bars for 15 years.