Lee Myung-hee, matriarch of the Cho family, was given a suspended sentence for abusing staff. — AFP: A South Korean court on Tuesday found the mother of Korean Air’s chief executive guilty of repeatedly assaulting her employees, but gave her a suspended sentence.
The family has come under scrutiny in recent years after being embroiled in multiple criminal probes over assault, embezzlement and smuggling luxury goods, as well as a power struggle at the Hanjin group, which includes Korean Air. Seoul Central District Court convicted her on Tuesday but gave her a two-year jail sentence suspended for three years, and 80 hours of community service, on the grounds of her age and the fact that the victims did not want her to be punished.
It added Lee had “admitted her responsibility” and reached an agreement with the victims, factors which were taken into consideration.