SK chief's daughter heads home after piracy mission

First lieutenant Chey Min-jung / Yonhap

The second daughter of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won will return to Korea this week after six months in Somalia fighting pirates, Yonhap reported Sunday.

Chey Min-jung will return on Wednesday.

She was part of the Korean Navy’s 19th batch of troops sent to Somalia aboard the KDX-II destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin in June.

She was promoted from second lieutenant to first lieutenant on Dec. 1.

Chey, who became a commissioned officer in November last year, stands out among Korea’s chaebol, or conglomerate, families where second and third generations follow in the footsteps of their parents. She is the first woman from the family to enlist in the military. Her grandfather is former President Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993).

Her father, who heads the nation's third largest conglomerate, is back on the job after serving part of a four-year prison term for embezzling 46.5 billion won ($39.3 million).