The woman at the centre of the so-called “nut rage” case in South Korea has been freed after nearly five months in jail.

Heather Cho, a former Korean Air Lines executive and daughter of the chairman, came to symbolise the arrogance of the rich and powerful.

Her furious on-board outburst at being served nuts in a bag not a dish sparked a thousand puns over how she roasted the crew and forced the plane back to the gate to expel its chief.

An appeals court suspended Cho’s 10-month sentence, noting her lack of a previous criminal record and that she is the mother of young twins.

“I apologise on behalf of the defendant to all people who were hurt by this incident,” said her lawyer Yoon Seung-nam outside the court.

Judge Kim Sang-hwan said Cho, who resigned from her executive posts at the airline amid the scandal, said she would have had time to reflect on the mental anguish she had caused.