Jeong Woo-hyun, the chairman of MPK group, came under fire Monday for allegedly slapping a building’s guard because he had sealed the front gates with Jeong still inside the building. 

Jeong Woo-hyun, the chairman of MPK Group (Yonhap)The incident has gone viral in Korea. It has become known as the “Mr. Pizza assault case,” named after MPK’s well-known pizza brand, Mr. Pizza.

Although shocking, a businessperson mistreating others is nothing new in Korea.

Here are some infamous incidents: 

Lee Hae-wook, Daelim Industrial's vice chairman (Yonhap)Lee Hae-wook, Daelim Industrial’s vice chairman, was heavily criticized in March by the Korean public for habitually mistreating his chauffeurs both verbally and physically. The case came to public attention after one of the many chauffeurs Lee had hired and replaced stood up to expose his  misdeeds. 


Cho Hyun-ah, former Korean Air executive (Yonhap)In December, 2014, the case of former Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah gained worldwide notoriety, demonstrating the unchallenged supremacy enjoyed by some corporate scions in Korea. Cho had demanded that her flight – which was departing from New York to Incheon and carrying roughly 250 passengers -- return to the gate to evict a flight attendant who had failed to serve her macadamia nuts in the right way. Cho was charged and brought to court in both Korea and New York for verbally degrading the attendant and pushing her in the chest. 

Kang Tae-sun, Black Yak's CEO (Yonhap)In September, 2013, outdoor clothing brand Black Yak’s CEO Kang Tae-sun hit an airline employee with a newspaper for delaying his boarding. The employee had been checking Kang’s boarding ticket after Kang arrived late at the boarding gate. 

Chey Cheol-won, younger cousin of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won (Yonhap)In 2010, Chey Cheol-won, a younger cousin of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, beat a protesting lorry driver with aluminum baseball bat. He offered to compensate the man with 1 million won ($870) for each hit, enraging the public. The incident later inspired the 2015 hit film “Veteran.”

Kim Seung-yeon, Hanhwa Group chairman (Yonhap)In March, 2008, Hanhwa Group chairman Kim Seung-youn had a bar waiter dragged to the backland of Cheonggye mountain and beat him for getting into a fight with his second son. Chairman Kim was handed down a prison term of 18 months, with 3 years’ probation, however, he was pardoned within one year of the incident. His second son, Kim Dong-won, is now the director of Hanhwa Life Insurance merely six-months after starting in the company.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)