JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty ImagesThis story is either going to crack you up or drive you nuts!
Heather Cho, the daughter of Korean Air CEO Cho Yang-ho, recently made headlines when she demanded to have a crew member leave her flight prior to takeoff after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a plate.
In fact, more than 250 passengers had to suffer the consequences by waiting an extra 20 minutes before the plane from New York to South Korea could safely and officially take off.
After a lot more digging and investigating, South Korea's transport ministry is now ready to make sure this never happens again.
According to reports, Korean Air will now face sanctions for allegedly pressuring employees to lie during a government probe into what really happened during the "nut rage" fiasco. In addition, Cho is likely to face criminal charges for her behavior.
"As it has been confirmed that Cho raised her voice and used abusive language as testified by some flight crew members and passengers, we will report her to the prosecution for potential violation of aviation safety law," the ministry said in its statement. "We plan to impose a flight ban or a fine against Korean Air."
The airlines faces sanctions of up to 21 days of flight suspensions or a $1.3 million fine for violating aviation law. Regulations state that an aircraft preparing for takeoff should only return to the gate if the pilots determine that there's an emergency that would threaten the well-being of the plane and its passengers.
"Korean Air apologizes to its passengers for the inconvenience caused by the return of the aircraft even though the circumstance was not an emergency," the carrier later said in a statement.
Park Chang-jin, the crew member who had to leave his flight after serving the nuts, told South Korea news outlets that Cho had shamed and insulted several crew members during the Dec. 5 flight. Reports even allege that Cho pushed one flight attendant's shoulder and threw an object at the cabin wall.
Cho has since apologized over the incident, which fueled outrage and ridicule in South Korea. She also resigned from her position within the company late last week.