The South Korean government will slap disciplinary measures on eight ministry officials for the poor handling of an investigation into the so-called “nut rage” incident involving Korean Air.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday that it decided on the measures following an internal inspection launched after it came under public scrutiny for failing to make a thorough investigation into the misconduct of Heather Cho, the heiress to the nation’s largest airline.

“I deeply regret the huge sense of disappointment that people may have felt during the ministry’s investigation into the Korean Air incident,” said Transport Minister Suh Seoung-hwan.

“I accept that the dispute over the partiality of the investigation and the bribery charges against the ministry investigators have provided cause for public disappointment, distrust and anger toward the ministry,” he said

Suh said the ministry will impose severe disciplinary actions on a ministry official surnamed Kim who is accused of leaking details of the investigation to a Korean Air executive. Kim was placed under arrest following a separate investigation by the prosecutor.

Two directors of the ministry’s Aviation Security and Aviation Safety divisions who were responsible for the investigation and another official who phoned Korean Air employees regarding the probe will face disciplinary action, while another four officials will be issued warnings.

“The ministry will also work on overhauling the aviation safety management and personnel system,” the minister said.

Regarding the personnel, Suh was referring to the fact that two former Korean Air employees were included among those who tried to leak information to the company.

The minister also said he would conduct a safety inspection on airlines and the ministry will draw up preventive measures by the end of March.

On Dec. 5, Heather Cho, the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, caused a public uproar after forcing a chief cabin crew member to disembark because she was displeased with the way a flight attendant served her macadamia nuts.

The scandal has been snowballed since then, as it was discovered that the government had attempted to cover up for the airline.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)