Police raid Korean Air office in Cho family probe

Police raided the headquarters of Korean Air on Thursday as part of a probe into allegations that its senior executive, who is also a daughter of the company’s chief, assaulted an advertising company official at a business meeting.

Six officials from the Seoul Gangseo Police Station were sent to search the main office of the country’s biggest airline in western Seoul and confiscate evidence, police said.

Police later said they impounded two smartphones used by Cho Hyun-min, the younger daughter of Chairman Cho Yang-ho, and two smartphones that belong to two other Korean Air executives who were present at the meeting.

Cho is accused of yelling at the ad firm manager and throwing water in his face during a meeting last month. She has been booked and banned from overseas travel pending the probe.

Witnesses have told police that she threw a paper cup at the manager that had fruit juice in it. But their statements are not consistent in terms of details, such as whether she threw it in his face or pushed it toward him over the table. Some of them claimed it was a glass cup, in which case Cho could face a more serious assault charge.

Police raided Cho’s own office and the office of the marketing department, which Cho had headed until the scandal broke, to find out whether there was any attempt to cover up the incident or to appease the victim or the ad firm in any way.

Police said they will arrange a date for her questioning as soon as they finish analyzing the confiscated evidence.

Police conducted a raid on the ad company and questioned the firm’s officials, including the manager, this week.

Cho has denied the claim and insists she only pushed him.

Yonhap