Asiana Airlines has confirmed that it will sue Bay Area television channel KTVU-TV for displaying false, racially charged names of the pilots who flew the Boeing 777 that crashed into San Francisco Airport last week, killing three.
According to the Associated Press, spokesperson for the South Korea-based airline Lee Hyomin stated that the news brief, in which pilot Lee Kang Kuk and flight instructor Lee Joeng-Min were ridiculed, slaughtered their reputation. She said they will certainly sue the station to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report."
The suit will most likely be carried out in the U.S., she added.
The fateful television spot referred to the pilots by four unsavory, punned names, including "Capt. Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," and "Ho Lee Fuk."
According to KTVU, the names broadcasted were confirmed by an official at the National Transportation Safety Board.
Anchor Tori Campbell read the names on Friday.
Soon after, KTVU released an apology both on television and on its website.
"Nothing is more important to us than having the highest level of accuracy and integrity, and we are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again," the CNN affiliate station announced.
News of the segment has gone viral online, inciting a whole host of backlash from the public.
On Twitter, one user under the name MileRebecca posted her sentiments on the move made, according to her, in bad taste.
"If the point of the prank was to prove how ignorant people are about East Asian surnames, congrats. Achievement unlocked," she said.
If the point of the prank was to prove how ignorant people are about East Asian surnames, congrats. Achievement unlocked. #Asiana
— Rebecca (@MlleRebecca) July 15, 2013
Asiana Flight 214 carried 291 passengers and 16 crew members when it somersaulted into a runway at SFO, killing three people-two died at the scene of the crash, and a third passed from injuries Friday morning.
