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피터빈트

Hanjin chairman under fire for trivializing pilots’ job

By 조정은

Published : March 14, 2016 - 16:21

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The owner of Hanjin Group, parent company of the country’s largest flag carrier Korean Air, came under fire Monday for demeaning pilots by stating that they are useful only during emergencies.

Commenting on a Facebook post uploaded by a Korean Air pilot, Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho said his employee was exaggerating, and that pilots’ work is easier than driving a car thanks to the autopilot system.

“Pilots are briefed by flight control staff as well as weather analysis by the operation center during the flight operations and they just need to decide ‘go’ or ‘no go,’” he wrote. “And that is too difficult? They are (flying) with auto pilot (system) which is easier than driving a car.”

Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho (Yonhap) Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho (Yonhap)

The chairman also wrote that pilots are useful only for “emergency situations” criticizing the Korean Air pilot that he was flaunting himself so much that it would make “a dog laugh.”

The chairman left the rare comments on the Facebook post in which the Korean Air pilot surnamed Kim demonstrated complex working process of a pilot before they take off.

Pilots flying international flights need to spend at least 2 1/2 hours to check related files, longer than the work hours they are given.

Cho’s rare tit-for-tat with his employee came amid escalating confrontation between the management of Korean Air and the unionized pilots. Pilots have been staging a sit-in protest demanding a 37 percent increase in their salaries after a series of failed wage negotiations.

Korean Air, which raised their pay by 1.7 percent, has been rejecting the demand.

The unionized pilots said they would consider filing a defamation suit against the chairman saying that he has stained the honor of many pilots.

Korean Air said it could not confirm whether the comment was actually posted by the chairman.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)

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