The transportation ministry said Monday that it will reprimand eight ministry officials involved in the recent investigation into the "nut rage" case for their unfair manner favorable to the former vice president of Korean Air Lines Co. 
   
The decision came after a special ministry audit on its own investigation into the controversial incident where the former vice president of the airline allegedly kicked off the head pursuer of her Dec. 5 Korean Air flight from New York to Incheon over the way she was served her nuts -- in an unopened bag instead of on a plate.
  
"Imprudent execution of the investigation undermined the fairness of the entire investigation," the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.
   
"Based on such an outcome of its audit, the ministry has decided to reprimand eight related officials and will again take stern measures if the prosecution investigation leads to additional corruption charges against them," it added.
   
The ministry investigation had concluded Cho Hyun-ah, the former vice president of Korean Air, did in fact cause a scene, but that an order to turn the plane around to its boarding gate to drop off the head purser had come from the captain of the flight.
   
Based on such a conclusion, the ministry had filed a complaint against Cho with the prosecution on suspicions of causing a disturbance aboard a flight, which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of 5 million won (US$4,555), presumably a petty amount for the daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho.
   
The prosecution, based on its own investigation, is seeking an arrest warrant for the 39-year-old former vice president of the airline on two accounts of aviation safety regulation violations, including coercion and interference in the execution of duty that led to a change in flight plan, crimes punishable by a prison term of up to 10 years.
   
The ministry audit into its own investigation came after the head purser of the flight claimed ministry investigators had allowed a Korean Air official to accompany him during his questioning, preventing him from telling the whole story that will likely lead to a formal indictment against Cho by the prosecution.
   
Ministry investigators, most of whom are former Korean Air officials or pilots, had dismissed the claim.
   
The ministry, announcing the outcome of its audit Monday, acknowledged a Korean Air official was, in fact, present in the same room where the head purser was being questioned for at least
19 minutes.
   
It also noted former Korean Air officials questioning the head purser may have been inappropriate.
   
A ministry investigator, who was also a former Korean Air official, has been arrested for leaking information about the ministry's investigation to Korean Air.
   
"The ministry audit has found that the fairness of its investigation was jeopardized with some of its investigators making tens of calls to Korean Air officials while the investigation was underway," the ministry said. (Yonhap)