SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Asiana Airlines announced Monday that it will sue an Oakland TV station that it said damaged the airline's reputation by using bogus and racially offensive names for four pilots on a plane that crashed earlier this month in San Francisco.
An anchor for KTVU-TV read the names on the air Friday and then apologized after a break. The report was accompanied by a graphic with the phony names listed alongside a photo of the burned-out plane that had crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, killing three and injuring dozens.
Video of the report has spread widely across the Internet since it was broadcast.
The National Transportation Safety Board also has apologized, saying a summer intern erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew.
Asiana has decided to sue KTVU-TV to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report" that disparaged Asians, Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said. She said the airline will likely file suit in U.S. courts.