Embodied subjects of victimization

Abstract

On December 5, 2014, right before takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Korean Air Flight 86 suddenly taxied back to its gate. Leaving chief crewmember Pak Ch'ang-jin¹ behind, it then departed for the Incheon International Airport in South Korea. Commonly referred to in Korea as the “ttangk’ong hoehang sakon” [nut-fly-back incident], it resulted from a temper tantrum by Cho Hyon-a (Heather Cho), vice president of Korean Air and the oldest daughter of its CEO, Cho Yang-ho. Because macadamia nuts were served to her in a bag instead of on a plate, she became furious with the flight attendant, accusing her of not following the in-flight service manual correctly. Though she soon learned that she had been wrong about how the nuts should be served, Cho blamed Pak - the team leader for the entire crew - for not providing her immediately with the manual and therefore causing her trouble. She then ordered Pak off the plane.