SEOUL, South Korea — The former Korean Air executive famous for an inflight tantrum over macadamia nuts pleaded not guilty Monday to violating aviation safety law and hindering a government investigation.
Lawyers for Cho Hyun-ah did not dispute the major elements of the prosecutor’s account of events on Dec. 5, when Cho forced a Korean Air jet to return to the gate. Instead, they are focusing on a technical rebuttal.
Cho spent most of the first day of her trial Monday with her head lowered and hair covering her face. Cho, the daughter of Korean Air’s chairman, declined to make any comments when invited to by a judge. Cho’s attorney Yu Seung-nam said Cho is unable to mentally recover from her ordeal as she has been “beaten” by the media.
She achieved worldwide notoriety by kicking the chief flight attendant off a Dec. 5 flight after another crew member offered her macadamia nuts in a bag, instead of on a dish. At the time, Cho was vice president of cabin service at the airline.
