The government will review the legitimacy of disciplinary action by the daughter of the Korean Air chairman who forced a flight crew to deplane, delaying other passengers from departing, an official said Monday.

Cho Hyun-ah, vice president of the national carrier and the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, ordered a senior flight attendant of a plane heading to Incheon from New York on Friday to deplane for failing to follow in-flight service procedures, according to the company. Korean Air officials said the attendant had not asked Cho whether she would like a pack of nuts and did not provide the snack on a plate, as required by the service manual.

Cho, also known by her English name Heather, ordered the attendant off the plane while the flight was already being taxied, forcing the flight to return to the passenger terminal and causing a delay in departure.

The airline confirmed the flight arrived at its destination 11 minutes later than scheduled.

The official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government will check to see if Cho's action was in violation of aviation safety regulations. Cabin crew members by rule take orders only from their captain while aboard a flight.

"We will see if (the incident) was in violation of the law. We must review related laws as this is an unprecedented incident," the official told reporters.

The official said the government may still take disciplinary action, such as issuing a warning, against the airline even if its review finds Cho's action did not violate aviation safety.

"Even if she is the vice president of the airline, she was one of passengers and should have been treated as one," he said.  The lesson for the flight attendant could have been given after returning to South Korea, he said. (Yonhap)