'Nut rage' executive found guilty

A court has found a former Korean Air executive guilty of violating aviation safety law after a trial that stemmed from her tantrum over how she was served nuts on a flight.

The court in Seoul said Cho Hyun-ah was guilty of forcing a flight to change its route, the most serious of the charges she faced.

Cho achieved worldwide notoriety after she ordered the chief flight attendant off a December 5 flight, forcing it to return to the gate, after she was offered macadamia nuts in a bag instead of a dish.

The court also found her guilty of obstructing the flight's captain in the performance of his duties and forcing a crew member off a plane.

A sentence is expected later. Prosecutors have called for three years in prison.

Cho, the daughter of Korean Air's chairman, was found not guilty of interfering with a transport ministry investigation into the incident at John F Kennedy Airport in New York.

The so-called nut rage incident touched a nerve in South Korea, where the economy is dominated by family-run conglomerates that often act above the law