South Korea's transportation ministry is taking flak for being "overly lenient" toward Korean Air Lines Inc. after its initial interviews with the flight crew did not uncover the alleged verbal abuse by a former vice president of the carrier for a breach of snack-serving protocol.
  
The incident has triggered a social uproar in South Korea with people dubbing it "nut rage" and demanding Cho Hyun-ah be punished.
   
Cho ordered the plane be turned around to remove the chief purser after an employee served her an unopened bag of nuts instead of on a plate. The move has drawn intense criticism because the order was given after the passenger jet, carrying 250 people from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Incheon International Airport on Dec. 5, had already pushed back from the gate and was on the taxiway.
  

Her decision delayed the flight by some 20 minutes. Her high-handed manner of chastising the crew has led the public to spotlight problems associated with large companies being run by family members.

   
The ministry is scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday to outline what actions will be taken.
   
Cho, the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, was vice president of flight services. Since the incident, she has resigned from all posts in the carrier and Hanjin Group, the parent conglomerate of Korean Air.
   
The 40-year-old also apologized for the commotion she caused, but has never admitted she raised her voice or physically abused the crew members. She tried to apologize directly to the chief purser and flight attendant involved for the second day in a row on Monday but was unable to meet them.
   
State prosecutors involved in the probe said they plan to summon Cho on Thursday to see if she broke the law.
  
"There has been testimonies by witnesses, including a first class passenger and crew member that Cho not only used abusive language, but used physical force, so it is almost inevitable she will be indicted," a source said.
  

 He said that a real-time mobile messenger exchange between as first class passenger and a friend will likely be the most objective evidence in the case.
   
Authorities said they are also in the process of extracting data from the cockpit voice recorder they confiscated from Korean Air and will take necessary action once the information becomes available.
  

Separately, prosecutors are trying to determine if the airline systematically tried to cover up the scandal by pressuring employees to lie. 
  
"Senior executives will be summoned to answer questions related to a cover-up," the insider said.
  
Korean Air stocks ended the day at 48,600 won (US$44.2) per share, unchanged from the previous session. The company's stocks have remained sluggish recently despite lower fuel prices that should have helped its bottom line. (Yonhap)