A daughter of the convicted head of SK Group, Korea’s No. 3 conglomerate, has decided to enlist in the Navy, the business group said Wednesday, sparking public interest in a country where draft dodging by children of the powerful is persistent.

Chey Min-jung, the daughter of former SK chairman Chey Tae-won, signed up to serve as a naval officer in April, according to the business group and the defense ministry. The results of her physical are expected Friday.

Should she pass the exam, the younger Chey will be the first woman from a chaebol family to enlist in the military. Inheriting the family business has been the perceived norm for such next of kin.

“At a time like this when the sons of conglomerate heads are often criticized for skipping military service, Min-jung’s enlistment comes as both surprising and eye-opening,” a company official said. (Yonhap)