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Cho Yang-ho, 70, Dies; Expanded Korean Air Amid Scandals

Pascal Pavani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Cho Yang-ho, whose 27 years as president of Korean Air brought substantial growth to the carrier but also a dizzying series of scandals, including two corruption investigations involving him and a notorious tantrum on a flight by one of his daughters, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 70.

The company announced his death on Twitter. Reuters said he had been undergoing treatment for an unspecified lung disease.

Shareholders had ousted Mr. Cho from the company’s board less than two weeks ago, a highly unusual move in South Korea, where family-controlled conglomerates, called chaebols, like that run by the Chos, have tended to operate with a certain arrogance.