[Photo by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
SEOUL -- The wife of Hanjin group chief Cho Yang-ho who controls Korean Air was released from temporary custody at a police station after a court refused to issue an arrest warrant, citing no possibility of running away or destroying evidence.
Lee Myung-hee, 69, went home shortly before midnight Monday after she was locked up at a police station in central Seoul. She has been widely criticized as a typical example of "Gapjil" that means an abuse of power such as mistreatment, arrogant behavior, crude talk, character assassination, and insults.
"I apologize for causing trouble," she told reporters as she walked out of the police station after the court ruled that there is no possibility of destroying evidence or fleeing.
The court also asked investigators to secure reliable evidence on Lee's criminal activities. "There is a possibility of contention with some facts about her crime," it said.
Police said Lee was involved in 24 cases of crimes against 11 people from 2011. She allegedly hurled a pair of pruning shears at a security guard in his house for failing to take care of the house door properly, kicked a chauffeur for a mistake in the street, beat a gardener and slapped a construction worker.
Lee is also suspected of assaulting employees of Hanjin, a family-run conglomerate known as chaebol, which controls Korean Air, the country's top flag carrier. Allegations about her insulting remarks and abusive treatment of her personal staff and construction workers renovating her home fueled public anger at a time when her two daughters were investigated.
Law enforcement authorities have launched a barrage of interrogations into the ruling family's illegal activities, abuse of power, assaults, tax evasion and smuggling of luxury goods.
Police have questioned Lee's youngest daughter, Cho Hyun-min, on charges of assault. She lost her temper during a business meeting on March 16 and threw a glass cup at an advertising company official. Many South Koreans saw it as emblematic of a generation of spoilt and arrogant offsprings of chaebol owners.
Lee's eldest daughter, Cho Hyun-ah, who formerly served as Korean Air vice president, was released on early Tuesday after a 15-hour interrogation by customs officials in Incheon west of Seoul over allegations that she brought in personal goods purchased overseas without paying taxes.
In a separate case, Cho Hyun-ah has been questioned by customs officials over allegations that she and her mother have illegally hired Filipino housemaids at their homes.
The woman was once arrested in 2014 for an onboard tantrum when served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl. She was imprisoned for a year for violating aviation law but she was released in May 2015 after an appeals court suspended her sentence.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
