Kim Woo-choong, former chairman of Daewoo Group, has returned home to attend the 46th anniversary of the founding of the chaebol.

An official of Daewoosky Institute, founded by former Daewoo executives and employees, said Friday that Kim came back to Korea from Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon.

The 46th anniversary celebration was hosted by the institute at AW Convention Center in Seoul on Friday.

Last year, he also returned to Seoul from abroad to attend the 45th anniversary.

It was the first time for him to return home under the President Park Geun-hye government.

Local news media speculate that he may be preparing to resume business management, citing that five years have passed since he was pardoned after being convicted of financial crimes.

In 2006, Kim was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison and ordered to pay 17.92 trillion won in penalty taxes for embezzlement and accounting fraud. In January, 2008, he was set free after receiving a special pardon from President Roh Moo-hyun.

(swchun@heraldcorp.com)