KAL Chair Cho’s SNS Comment Stirs Up Controversy | Be Korea-savvy

KAL Chair Cho’s SNS Comment Stirs Up Controversy


The pilots’ union of Korean Air Lines (KAL) has released a statement outlining its official position with regards to SNS comments made by Chairman Cho Yang-ho, saying that he is “unqualified to be the CEO of an airline”. (Image : Yonhap)

The pilots’ union of Korean Air Lines (KAL) has released a statement outlining its official position with regards to SNS comments made by Chairman Cho Yang-ho, saying that he is “unqualified to be the CEO of an airline”. (Image : Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire)The pilots’ union of Korean Air Lines (KAL) has released a statement outlining its official position with regards to SNS comments made by Chairman Cho Yang-ho, saying that he is “unqualified to be the CEO of an airline”.

The controversy started when chairman Cho wrote a comment on a Facebook post from a KAL co-pilot referred to only as Kim. The pilot wrote a post saying that there are so many tasks a pilot has to fulfill, and the workload is too heavy. Chairman Cho commented, “Why are pilots under heavy workload when they only decide GO or NO GO? Autopilot makes it easier than driving a car”.

The pilot union’s statement expressed that they were “embarrassed and ashamed, and surprised at the same time to know that chairman Cho ran the giant airline based on pseudo-knowledge”.

The union also pointed out that Cho’s SNS comment “safety operators conduct the briefing, and the operation center analyzes changes in weather”, is not true.

The union claims that an airline CEO who has no knowledge about pilots,  the business’s most important employees, is unqualified to be the head of management, and the managerial incompetence has been reflected in the company’s operating results.

SNS comment written by KAL chair Cho. (Image : Yonhap)

SNS comment written by KAL chair Cho. (Image : Yonhap)

The pilots added that the “Cho’s SNS comment scarred the hearts of more than 2,000 pilots”, and emphasized that they would fight till the end.

Prior to the union’s statement, KAL announced its official position, explaining that “Cho was just trying to express his opinion through SNS that the working environment of pilots had been greatly improved due to the development of flying equipment and the support of the flight control center”.

Labor and management of KAL have been in conflict since the union took action in the labor dispute after salary negotiations broke down in 2015.

By M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)

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