Recently, the whole nation was shaken by the Korean Air “nut rage” case. The Korean people’s anger boiled over when they heard about the embarrassing incident that happened recently on a Korean Air flight from New York to Incheon. A vice president of Korean Air, on board the flight in the cosseted seclusion of the first-class cabin, became enraged when served nuts in a bag and not on a plate. She forced the plane that was already taxiing in preparation for takeoff to return to its gate so she could have the flight supervisor deplaned.

Later, the captain said that he did not know what exactly had transpired in the cabin when he turned the plane around and headed back to the gate. How could it be possible for the captain to halt the takeoff without knowing the exact reason? He should have been fully aware of the situation and only then decided what to do. Obviously, however, he chose to obey his boss instead of caring about the passengers for whom he was responsible.

It is obvious that the vice president, who was merely a passenger, had no right to control the plane. However, the captain immediately followed the instructions from the vice president, merely knowing that there was a preflight snack-serving issue in the first class cabin. How it was possible for the captain, who was responsible for the safety and comfort of the passengers, to make such a poor decision eludes me.

Once again, the “nut rage” incident brings to the forefront the issue of our captains’ professionalism and loyalty. As the captain of her company, the vice president behaved in a way unbecoming to her position. She lost her temper, dignity and integrity. The flight captain, too, failed to live up to the standard of professionalism expected from him. Alas! Both the captains seriously failed us.

Perhaps, the innate problem of the vice president of KAL stemmed from the fact that she inherited the enterprise from her father without any effort. How then could she possibly sympathize with the toils and tears of the flight attendants? The flight attendants of KAL are renowned for their excellent service and friendliness. In fact, I have met many foreigners who praise their superb service. Indeed, you cannot criticize their excellence in service, unless you are “nuts.” It is obvious that the vice president was arrogant and had anger management issues. She could have simply relieved the flight manager instead of returning the plane to its gate to have him deplaned.

We are now witnessing the rise of third-generation heads of chaebol in Korea, who are taking over the throne and inheriting astronomical amounts of wealth from their fathers or grandfathers. This hereditary system easily induces them to be arrogant and tyrannical, and makes the enterprises resemble the system of North Korea, which has been ruled by three generations of dictators. Yet, we still hold on to the hereditary system of chaebol, unlike Japan and the United States.

We have developed a tendency to distrust our captains after being disappointed by the irresponsible actions of the captain of the Sewol ferry. In fact, many captains in our society have failed us with their lack of professionalism, whether at sea, on land or in the sky. Our social and political captains have disappointed us as well.

Nevertheless, we still have to follow our captain’s instructions and guidance. If we do not, we will end up either sinking or crashing. Captains are more experienced in maneuvering a ship or a plane than their passengers. In times of crisis, therefore, we cannot help but rely on our captain. We must hope that our captain has a strong sense of professionalism and thus is not swayed by political or other considerations.

Herman Wouk’s celebrated novel “The Caine Mutiny,” which was made into a superb film starring Humphrey Bogart, well illustrates this point. As Captain Queeg becomes obsessed with petty infractions and starts displaying paranoia, he arouses distrust and suspicion among his subordinate officers. Gradually, junior officers come to believe they must save the ship from the captain’s insanity. One day, the Caine is struck by a heavy storm and they find that Captain Queeg cannot control the situation and is leading the ship in harm’s way. Assuming the captain is mentally disturbed, Lieutenant Maryk relieves him, believing he has to save the ship from a seemingly inevitable shipwreck.

After the mutineers are acquitted at the court marshal, lawyer Lieutenant Greenwald confesses that Captain Queeg was, in fact, a fine Navy officer and accuses the junior officers of wrongdoing. Greenwald chides the mutineers that while they were studying at Ivy League schools or idling at home, Captain Queeg was fighting valiantly in the Atlantic for his country. During the Roh administration, our young people naively assumed that older, experienced leaders in our society were incompetent and relieved them forcefully and ruthlessly. However, that proved to be wrong.

Watching our failed captains of Korean Air Lines, we intensely wish to have well-qualified, reliable captains in our society who will lead us in the right direction.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.