This is very strange. If you read the article the sequence of events was:
1. Pilot asked for a drink.
2. FA told the crew chief.
3. Crew chief told the co-pilot (who sits right next to the pilot)
4. The captain is no longer mentioned, but the co-pilot and crew chief start a fight.
5. The crew chief was demoted for insulting the co-pilot and starting a fight, NOT for reporting the captain's request for a drink.
6. The story was unveiled seven months later.
After the "nuts incident" Korean Air is an easy target, but this sounds too weird to be true. The airline says captain's actions "didn't cause trouble"? No way a flag-carrier could respond like that. We only know Korean Air's reaction from the Korea Times newspaper, hardly a trustworthy source. Did they give a link to an official Korean Air statement?
I agree with people calling BS on this.