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Former Korean Air CEO Cho Hyun-min (C) speaks to the media at
the Seoul Gangseo Police Station in Seoul, South Korea 01 May 2018. She
is accused of shouting and throwing water at an advertising executive
during a meeting on June 16. Photo by EPA-EFE/KIM HEE-CHUL
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By Jennie Oh, UPI
Cho Hyun-min, a former Korean Air executive and daughter of the airline's chief, denied allegations that she assaulted a business associate during a meeting in mid-March.
Police said Wednesday that the 35-year-old heiress denied charges of assault and obstruction of business, during the so-called 'water rage' incident.
She was questioned by inspectors for 15 hours from 10 a.m. Tuesday, JTBC reported.
Cho has been accused of yelling, throwing a glass cup and hurling plum juice, or water, during a meeting with a marketing firm on Mar. 16. She reportedly flew into a tantrum when a manager from the marketing agency could not answer her questions.
According to police, Cho claimed that she was angry as she felt she was being ignored by the marketing associate when he did not answer her properly so she threw the glass cup at the wall, where there wasn't anyone around.
She also said she did not throw the beverage from the paper cup at her business associates but pushed the cup toward the door with the back of her hand.
After hearing recorded files of the meeting, police accused Cho of obstructing business operations by stopping the meeting and yelling abuse at the marketing manager.
However, as Cho was in charge of Korean Air's advertisement, she says stopping the meeting cannot be considered a disruption of business.
Police say they will analyze related evidence and testimonies from the alleged victims, in addition to Cho's statement, before deciding on further action, Yonhap reported.
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