South Korean prosecutors urged an appeals court on Monday, April 20 to increase the prison sentence given to 'Korean Air's former vice president Heather Cho for disrupting a flight and verbally and physically abusing the cabin crew.
At the High Court in Seoul, Cho's lawyer argued that she should not be found guilty of altering the plane's flight because it had barely left the gate when Cho had forced it to return. Her defense lawyers also claimed that their client was remorseful for her actions.
However, prosecutors called for the court to extend her one-year jail term to three years, claiming that Cho's apologies and statements were not sincere. In addition, the prosecutors stated, "In regards to the claims the defendant had made about being unaware the aircraft was in flight, when looking at the testimonies made by the stewardess as well as all the unavoidable circumstances, it seems as though the statements are illogical and she had every intention of altering the plane's flight."
Cho's lawyer stated, "The defendant is fully aware of the responsibilities and is currently reflecting [on what she has done]. Through her mishandled actions, she knows that she has cause distress, not just to the victims but also to the people of the nation."
Meanwhile, the 'nut rage' incident went viral as many South Koreans saw her behavior as emblematic of a generation of spoilt offsprings of 'chaebols' that dominate the national economy.
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